TOKYO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday extended its advisory for power shortages Tuesday calling on businesses and residents in Tokyo and nearby areas to conserve energy as searing summer temperatures have increased demand.
Businesses and residents served by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) have been asked to conserve energy by limiting the use of power-zapping electronics and taking commonsensical steps such as turning off lights when not needed.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, the government is asking people in the service region to reduce power consumption as much as possible between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time and particularly from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., when demand tends to spike intensely.
Due to a concerted effort by the businesses and the public a day earlier, however, TEPCO said there were no power shortages or outages on Monday.
The utility also said that other power companies supplying power, including solar energy, also helped to avert a power shortage on Monday in its service area, which comprises Tokyo and eight nearby prefectures including those in the Kanto region.
With the rainy season here being the shortest in the Tokyo area since records became available in 1951, the broader region has been experiencing a heatwave, with the mercury soaring to 35 degrees centigrade and above.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said, thus, there is a continued high demand for electricity in the evenings and requested that the public cooperate.
Hagiuda also said after a cabinet meeting Tuesday that is "important" for Japan to restart its nuclear power stations, many of which were taken offline in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, so the nation can avoid a power crunch.
The government has said that as Japan is now facing a protracted heatwave, the potential supply shortage is now expanding and affecting a number of areas in eastern Japan and concerns are growing that the reserve supply capacity rate in the region will drop below 5 percent.
This could happen as soon as Wednesday, as the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned that temperatures will continue to rise Wednesday, meaning the increased use of air-conditioners.
TEPCO officials said that if the temperature rises by one degree higher than forecast, the demand for electricity will surge by 1.5 million kilowatts.
In light of this, the industry ministry will decide Tuesday afternoon whether to issue another advisory on Wednesday, as the lowest level necessary for a stable power supply is 3 percent.
Along with other power companies pitching in to avert a potential power crisis in Japan, JERA Co. Inc.'s thermal power station in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, will be restarted on Wednesday, with the reboot brought forward from a previously planned restart on Friday, the company said. ■