SWEPCO asks customers to limit power use

Southwestern Electric Power Co. is asking its 180,000 northwest Louisiana customers to keep electricity use at a minimum. The company hopes to avoid a series of rolling blackouts that would leave customers without power for up to two hours at a time.

SWEPCO says the request was made because of high temperatures in the area, increased demand for electricity and transmission problems with the electric system in Louisiana.

SWEPCO is a unit of American Electric Power.