Japan relaxes power savings target as nuke reactor reaches capacity

Japan will reduce power saving targets in its industrialised west after one of two restarted reactors reach capacity.

The Japanese government said that the voluntary goal for the area serviced by Kansai Electric Power Co would be decreased to using at least 10 percent less power based on 2010 levels from an earlier target of 15 percent.

The government also approved the restart of the No.3 and No.4 units at Kansai's Ohi plant.

The return of full power generation at the 1,180 megawatt No.3 unit at the Ohi plant will boost Kansai's peak-hour supply by some 1,700 MW, lowering the chances of rolling blackouts or the need to call on neighbouring utilities to share any of their surplus energy.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said the government would further adjust its targets when the 1,180 MW No.4 Ohi unit comes online later this month.

He said that when that facility reaches capacity, numerical targets could be scrapped for Chubu, Hokuriku and Chugoku, while voluntary cuts at Shikoku Electric Power Co could be lowered to 5 percent from 7 percent currently.

Customers of another nuclear-reliant utility in the north,Hokkaido Electric Power Co, have also been asked to
save power by 7 percent from 2010 levels from July 23.

But those in areas supplied by Tepco and Tohoku Electric Power Co face no numerical targets this summer after
the two utilities boosted capacity at fossil-fuel power plants.

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