ID :
187766
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 19:48
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/187766
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Kansai Electric seeks 15% power cut, Osaka gov. rejects it
OSAKA, June 10 Kyodo - Kansai Electric Power Co. said Friday it will ask households and firms in its service area in western Japan to voluntarily cut power consumption by around 15 percent from July 1 to Sept. 22 due to an expected electricity shortage this summer.
The move came as some of the utility's nuclear reactors remained idle amid rising concerns about the safety of nuclear power after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered a radiation leakage accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in northeastern Japan.
''This is an anguished decision we made to avoid blackouts,'' Makoto Yagi, president of the utility said at a press conference in Osaka. ''We feel sorry for causing trouble but we have to seek understanding and cooperation.''
While it is the first time for Kansai Electric to make such a request since the 1973-74 oil crisis, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto refused to cooperate, arguing that the utility does not present any substantial reason for the request.
Hashimoto said the utility has refused to disclose electricity demand and other relevant data when the prefectural government compiled energy-saving measures. The local government has considered asking its citizens to reduce power consumption by 5 to 10 percent this summer.
Yagi said, meanwhile, the utility will have to stop accommodating Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the troubled Fukushima plant, with electricity in July and will ask Chubu Electric Power Co. to supply Kansai Electric with electricity.
With calls for electricity conservation spreading from eastern to western Japan, companies in areas served by the utility will be required to review their operating plans. But many of them are generally cooperative, with some saying they would shift production to nighttime or use in-house power generation systems.
The Kansai Electric-requested 15 percent cut from the peak level of power consumption in the previous summer will be required from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays at households and companies.
Of the utility's 11 nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture, four have remained idle due to routine maintenance and inspection, and two more are scheduled to stop operations in July for checkups.
The utility has been aiming to resume operation of the four reactors, but local governments in Fukui are opposed to it due to safety concerns.
The move came as some of the utility's nuclear reactors remained idle amid rising concerns about the safety of nuclear power after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered a radiation leakage accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in northeastern Japan.
''This is an anguished decision we made to avoid blackouts,'' Makoto Yagi, president of the utility said at a press conference in Osaka. ''We feel sorry for causing trouble but we have to seek understanding and cooperation.''
While it is the first time for Kansai Electric to make such a request since the 1973-74 oil crisis, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto refused to cooperate, arguing that the utility does not present any substantial reason for the request.
Hashimoto said the utility has refused to disclose electricity demand and other relevant data when the prefectural government compiled energy-saving measures. The local government has considered asking its citizens to reduce power consumption by 5 to 10 percent this summer.
Yagi said, meanwhile, the utility will have to stop accommodating Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the troubled Fukushima plant, with electricity in July and will ask Chubu Electric Power Co. to supply Kansai Electric with electricity.
With calls for electricity conservation spreading from eastern to western Japan, companies in areas served by the utility will be required to review their operating plans. But many of them are generally cooperative, with some saying they would shift production to nighttime or use in-house power generation systems.
The Kansai Electric-requested 15 percent cut from the peak level of power consumption in the previous summer will be required from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays at households and companies.
Of the utility's 11 nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture, four have remained idle due to routine maintenance and inspection, and two more are scheduled to stop operations in July for checkups.
The utility has been aiming to resume operation of the four reactors, but local governments in Fukui are opposed to it due to safety concerns.
