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Economy
22 Mar 2022
Japan issues First-ever Power Supply Shortage Warning after Earthquake
The Index Today
The Japanese government issued its first-ever power supply warning amid a power shortage after an earthquake last week shut several plants on Tuesday, with the deficit compounded by technical troubles affecting Tokyo Electric Power Co. The government also asked the citizens to reduce their energy consumption.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued the warning for areas supplied by Tokyo Electric (Tepco) and Tohoku Electric Power Co in anticipation of a demand spike to meet heating needs as temperatures dropped.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference, "We request your cooperation to save electricity as much as possible, such as by setting your thermostats at around 20 degrees Celsius and switching off any unnecessary lights."
Reports last week indicated that a magnitude of 7.4 earthquake struck northeast Japan last Wednesday that destroyed equipment and forced six thermal power plants in regions serviced by Tepco and Tohoku Electric to shut. Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda earlier told parliament that some of those plants could take weeks or months to return to operation.
©Photo: Kyodo/via REUTERS
