As summer approaches.. Tokyo urges rationalization of electricity consumption

On Friday, the Japanese government urged residents and industrial sectors across Tokyo to rationalize electricity consumption during July and August, to ensure the stability of power supply during the peak summer, but did not set any target numbers.

The country’s electricity market is expected to see less pressure this summer in most regions than last summer, when the government asked for rationalization of electricity consumption across Japan, according to the Ministry of Industry forecast in May.

But the ministry decided to urge rationalization of consumption “within a reasonable range”, during these two months in areas supplied with power by the Tokyo Electricity Company (TEPCO), where the reserve capacity rate is estimated to be less than 5% near the minimum to ensure the stability of electricity supply at 3%.

The ministry reported that, in the event of a heatwave only repeating every 10 years, the reserve capacity projected in the Tokyo region is 3.1% in July and 4.8% in August, while the rest of the country remains above 5% in these two months.

The drop in the reserve capacity rate below 3% threatens to cause power outages and power shortages.