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The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about Japan's electricity supply.
Question: A while ago, there was a lot of talk about a power outage warning. What was that about?
Answer: That was around March 22, about a week after a major earthquake in north eastern Japan. A thermal power plant that sends electricity from Fukushima Prefecture to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) was shut down, making it more difficult than usual to produce electricity. Then, an unseasonably cold weather wave hit, and the number of people using heaters increased, causing concern about whether there would be enough electricity to meet the demand. On March 21, the Japanese government issued a power supply alert for the first time and called for people to save power.
Q: What is a power supply alert?
A: It is issued by the government to encourage people to save electricity when the power surplus is expected to fall below 3%. It was created in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The alerts prompted businesses to shut down their plants and households to lower their heating temperature settings. This avoided major power outages in March.
Q: So, power shortages won't happen again in the future, right?
A: No, that's not true. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced that the electricity surplus for this winter will be less than 3% in the following regions: Tokyo, Chubu, Hokuriku, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu. The ministry has explained that, "This is the most severe outlook since fiscal 2012." In particular, in the regions where TEPCO supplies electricity, it projects a supply-to-demand ratio of minus 1.7% in January 2023 and minus 1.5% in February 2023, indicating that there is no surplus electricity.
Q: Why is there such a shortage?
A: There are multiple factors. Aging thermal power plants are being decommissioned and nuclear power plants are not being restarted due to safety concerns following the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. In addition, the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, is affected by weather conditions.
It can be said that the government's failure to address concerns about the stable supply of electricity has led to this situation. It is necessary to make hasty preparations to avoid power shortages.
(Japanese original by Shuhei Endo, Business News Department)
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