Con Edison is partnering with Kings Plaza in a deal that will allow the utility company to use electricity from the shopping center's power plant when strained.

The plant produces enough power for 1.1 million homes.  There is still some juice leftover after it powers the shopping center to be able to produce an extra 6 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 6,000 homes.

Equipment has been installed with the new partnership. Kings Plaza can feed power back into the Con Ed grid whenever needed.

It's not the first time the utility company turned to the shopping center. Con Ed got some assistance from the power plant over the summer when hundreds were subject to a blackout.

Officials say the project has been considered for many years, but were finally able to make it happen under the new management of the company Macerich.