Japan's Govt. Issues Power Crunch Alert
The Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company are calling on households and companies to save electricity on Tuesday, when demand is expected to spike due to cold weather.
The supply capacity of the utility has been undermined by a strong earthquake that hit northeastern Japan last week. A unit of a thermal power plant in the area remains off the grid.
Electricity demand for heating may spike on Tuesday, when snow and rain are forecast for eastern Japan.
The government is warning that a power crunch could cause a massive blackout in nine prefectures: Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi and Shizuoka.
Officials say a 10-percent reduction of power usage would ensure a stable supply. The benchmark for a stable power supply is that usage is kept below 97 percent of the supply capacity.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company is asking people not to turn heaters above 20 degrees Celsius and for companies to operate factories during off-peak hours on Tuesday.