Japan on ‘high-alert’ for summer power shortages, says minister
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Japan's economic minister said there was no need to request for companies and households to conserve energy, but asked that people not waste electricity.
PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO – Japan’s economy minister warned that the country needs to remain vigilant to prevent electricity shortages this summer, due to its reliance on older power plants that have a higher risk of sudden outages.
“We can’t rule out temporary squeezes on power ahead,” Mr Ken Saito said during a regular news conference on July 12. “The situation is such that we need to remain on high alert.”
Tokyo has secured enough fuel to deal with expected surges in power demand as temperatures rise, Mr Saito said, and reiterated that there was no need to request companies and households to conserve energy.
But he asked that people not waste electricity and that they turn off lights in empty rooms.
Thermal power facilities that were temporarily shut down for maintenance earlier in 2024 are expected to come online by the end of July, while equipment failures at other facilities are expected to be fixed earlier than previously planned, he said.
Separately, Mr Saito said government and company officials will discuss concrete measures on July 16 to deal with growing jet fuel shortages as inbound flights increase.
Measures will include ways to better monitor demand and secure fuel supplies, he added. BLOOMBERG
