Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) will ask companies and households in its service area to reduce electricity usage this winter to prevent possible electricity shortages when the utility's nuclear reactors are offline, sources said.
Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) will ask companies and households in its service area to reduce electricity usage this winter to prevent possible electricity shortages when the utility's nuclear reactors are offline, sources said.
KEPCO, which asked its customers to do the same in the summer following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, said the possibility was strong for a significant shortfall in electricity supply, even if other power companies provide electricity.
Currently, operations have been suspended at seven of KEPCO's nuclear reactors. With reactors required to be inspected every 13 months in Japan, three more KEPCO reactors will go offline by the end of this year, and the remaining one will follow suit by February.
KEPCO will hold discussions with the Union of Kansai Governments and other organizations to decide on details of the request, such as the length of the conservation campaign and the targeted percentage for reduced electricity usage.
The Union of Kansai Governments is a group of seven prefectural governments in the Kansai region and neighboring areas that address issues that cross prefectural boundaries.