Rolling blackout begins at 6 p.m.

A rolling power blackout in Palo Alto will begin at 6 p.m. tonight.

The first area to lose electricity will be "Block 7" on the city's power grid. That includes parts of the Seale Addition, Old South Palo Alto and West Bayshore, along with the Midtown, Garland, Leland Manor, Green Gables, Crescent Park and Community Center neighborhoods.

At 7 p.m., "Block 14," including Green Acres and part of Charleston Meadows, along with Monroe Park and Greater Miranda, will lose power for an hour.

At 8 p.m., "Block 13"--College Terrace-- will lose power for an hour.

And, if needed, "Block 12"--part of the Stanford Research Park--will lose power at 9 p.m. for one hour.

The rolling blackout is being mandated because of the statewide energy shortage today.

For more information, go to www.cpau.com, the Utilities Department Web site. There is a place on that page for residents to click to find out which "block" they are on in the city's energy grid.

--Don Kazak