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Byline: Bob Freund
Jul. 2--Electric transmission lines were heating up this past week, as residents in Austin, Blooming Prairie, Spring Valley, Preston and other towns dialed their air conditioners to "COOL" to cope with summer's temperatures.
The power suppliers at Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency noticed the build-up. The dials at its power plants turned up to 487 megawatts -- million watts -- during one hour early in the week, the peak use for 2002 so far.
Higher peaks also are likely ahead, SMMPA officials say. The power agency is forecasting use could rise as high as 532 megawatts sometime in the hot season.
But the ...