How Tokyo Narrowly Avoided a Power Crisis by Shutting Its Lights
Japan Scrambles to Avoid Tokyo Blackout After Last Week's Quake Stretches Grid
(Bloomberg) -- Japan says it expects sufficient power supply for Tokyo after narrowly avoiding blackouts on Tuesday, as the worst power supply squeeze in more than a decade shows signs of easing.
The government lifted its electricity shortage warning for Tokyo from 11 a.m. on Wednesday, with solar supplies expected to be more abundant and cold weather subsiding, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Power demand from Thursday will ease more as temperatures rise, according to the ministry.
The country’s power supplies have been stretched thin since last week’s strong earthquake, which struck in the northeast and took several coal- and gas-fired power plants offline. Japan has very limited power reserves, as utilities have retired older oil-powered plants and most nuclear reactors remain shut after the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns.
Japan’s government on Monday issued its first-ever electricity supply alert for the Tokyo area under a system implemented after the Fukushima disaster.
Households and businesses cut power consumption -- through an effort known as “setsuden” in Japanese -- by nearly 5 gigawatts Tuesday, equal to roughly five nuclear reactors. The Tokyo Skytree tower, the tallest structure in Japan, went dark, offices sent workers home early, and newscasters presented the latest updates under dimmed lights in order to curb power consumption.
Convenience stores across the Tokyo and Tohoku regions set air-conditioner temperatures lower and shut off outdoor signs, according to the Nikkei. Post offices across the capital dimmed lights, while office buildings shut some elevators, the paper said.
Temperatures in Tokyo are forecast to be below average on Wednesday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, but will be slightly warmer than Tuesday.
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