TOKYO, Mar 23 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s industry ministry said yesterday that, a power outage could occur, with as many as three million households affected in Tokyo and other areas in Japan’s east and north-east.
The latest warning follows Industry Minister, Koichi Hagiuda, earlier yesterday urging people living in Tokyo and eight other prefectures, to lower the amount of electricity they consume, due to the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck last week, knocking out some thermal power plants.
Hagiuda’s request was made amid an unseasonably cold weather, which saw parts of Tokyo hit by snow and sleet yesterday, as the mercury plunged to below two degrees Celsius in some parts.
Major utility, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO), suggested, there could be shortages in power supply in the regions it services, as some of its thermal power plants remain offline, in the wake of last Wednesday’s powerful quake, which rocked Japan’s north-east.
“The government may ask for greater cooperation in the future, to reduce consumption, depending on how the situation evolves,” Hagiuda told a press briefing, earlier yesterday.
According to TEPCO, also the owner and operator of the crisis-hit Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, it had received reserves of power from other distributors, including those serving other areas of Japan, by 7.00 a.m. local time.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), along with TEPCO, are requesting homes and businesses to conserve energy by keeping heating to a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius and by turning off lights that are aren’t needed.
Along with Tokyo, Hagiuda asked for the prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi and Shizuoka to follow suit and take measures to conserve power.
The industry ministry said, the nation has not faced such a severe power supply crunch since the wake of the 2011 quake-triggered nuclear disaster at the plant in Fukushima.– NNN-NHK
