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JUNEAU - Juneau's electric utility, Alaska Electric Light & Power Co., announced that it shut off its interruptible electric customers, which are only connected when there's surplus energy available.

AEL&P's interruptible customers are Greens Creek Mine on Admiralty Island, 113 dual-fuel customers, and for part of the summer, Princess Cruises ships.

Dual-fuel customers include 98 residences, several schools and university buildings. They will revert to their oil systems until surplus is available again.

This is the second year AEL&P has offered its dual-fuel program. These customers pay a rate that's tied to the market price of heating oil, and they only get electricity when the utility has surplus energy.

The program is a deal when oil is cheap. But the price rose this year to its highest levels ever, and dual-fuel customers' price per kilowatt-hour is nearly the same as for noninterruptible customers now. AEL&P spokeswoman Gayle Wood said the program was less popular this year.

Surpluses depend on how much water is feeding the twin lakes of the Snettisham hydroelectric plant, and how much electricity Juneau's regular, noninterruptible customers are using.

The Snettisham lakes are full. But now that cold weather is here, inflows into them are no longer keeping up with the water being drained from the lake to make electricity.