Kansai Electric still preparing for blackouts

Kansai Electric will continue to prepare for potential rolling blackouts this summer despite getting the approval to restart its Ohi nuclear power plant.

"It is my decision that Ohi reactors No.3 and No.4 should be restarted to protect the people's livelihoods," Japan's prime minister Yoshihiko Noda said in a press conference.

Kansai Electric had warned that demand could exceed supply by 14.9 percent in August unless nuclear power is restored. Once the reactors start feeding power to the grid again, the supply is expected to catch up with demand, the paper reported.

The utility will request customers to reduce power use this summer by 5-10 percent instead of the 15 percent cut it is currently seeking, the Nikkei said.

Detailed plans are expected to be released around mid June. Till then, Kansai Electric will work with the central and local governments to identify facilities that will be spared from rolling blackouts, such as medical institutions, railways and aviation infrastructure, the newspaper said.

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