Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the threat of power shortages following the March 11 earthquake is being successfully managed and warned the public not to risk their health in efforts to save energy.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the threat of power shortages following the March 11 earthquake is being successfully managed and warned the public not to risk their health in efforts to save energy.
TEPCO Executive Vice President Takashi Fujimoto told The Asahi Shimbun: "People don't need to cut down on electricity beyond the limits of reason. They should refrain from saving electricity excessively that might lead them to develop heat stroke."
Power supply is currently comfortably exceeding demand in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, according to TEPCO and Tohoku Electric Power Co.
The government asked industrial users and regular households to cut their peak-time usage this summer by 15 percent from last year because of reduced supply following the March 11 earthquake and Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Lower summer temperatures compared with last year has alleviated the problem, and consumers' conservation efforts are having a significant impact. TEPCO, which serves Tokyo and the Kanto region, said demand this month was 7.5 gigawatts to 8 gigawatts lower than last year's levels on days when temperatures were comparable.
The closest TEPCO got to problems was on June 29, when demand reached 93 percent of capacity. In July, it never exceeded 90 percent.
Fujimoto said the utility will continue to be vigilant because it is difficult to predict the growth of demand when temperatures hit 35 degrees.
"Demand could rise as people may find it hard to put up with (the heat)," he said.
Fujimoto also addressed criticisms from within the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan that TEPCO was not fully utilizing pumped-storage facilities that generate electricity during peak times with water pumped off peak.
TEPCO is supplying 7 gigawatts a day from pumped hydro facilities, although its facilities were thought to have a capacity of 10.5 gigawatts. Fujimoto said the pumps at its hydroelectric power stations could actually only shift enough water to generate 7 gigawatts.
Tohoku Electric Power Co., which serves the Tohoku region, was also able to meet power demand in July.
Demand dropped by 0.6 gigawatts to 1.4 gigawatts after the region was ravaged by quake. The closest the company got to capacity was on July 9, when power use reached 94.6 percent of capacity.