Power shortages possible at 5 utilities in winter+

TOKYO, July 3 Kyodo -
The industry ministry has estimated that five electric power companies will be unable to meet between 4 percent and 20 percent of peak electricity demand from December to February if their nuclear reactors, now shut down for regular inspections, fail to resume operating, ministry sources said Saturday.
The combined power-generation capacity of the five utilities -- Tohoku, Kansai, Hokuriku, Shikoku and Kyushu -- falls short by 5.7 million kilowatts, according to the estimate.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry made the estimate based on the five utilities' electricity supply plans and the assumption that maximum demand for power will level off on a year-to-year basis.
If the idle reactors of the five companies fail to resume operating, their power-generating capacity is estimated to fall short of maximum demand by 20.1 percent for Hokuriku, 15.3 percent for Shikoku, 9.4 percent for Kyushu, 8.8 percent for Tohoku and 4.3 percent for Kansai.
In contrast, the ministry expects that four other electric power companies -- Hokkaido, Chubu, Chugoku and Tokyo -- will be able to generate 1 percent to 5 percent more electricity than needed to meet peak demand.
If reactors shut down for regular inspections remain idle through next summer, power shortfalls of 9 percent to 22 percent are expected in the service areas of all utilities except Chugoku and Chubu.
Nuclear reactors must in principle be shut down for inspection after every 13 months in service and power companies need to obtain consent from local authorities to restart them.
While 35 of Japan's 54 reactors are currently closed, the remainder will undergo regular checks by next summer.
The ministry also estimates that the combined cost of liquefied natural gas and other fuels to run thermal power plants while nuclear reactors are out of service will top 3 trillion yen a year at the nine utilities that have atomic power plants.