Japan ups thermal plant generation to 73.8% following nuke crisis

The ratio of electric power generated by thermal power plants in Japan has surpassed 70 percent following the March 2011 nuclear meltdowns.

That by nuclear plants, which stood at over one-fourth, has fallen below 3 percent.

Since fuel for thermal plants is more expensive than that for nuclear plants, all nine electric power companies in Japan that have nuclear plants are estimated to have run into the red in the business year that ended in March this year.

In February last year, the month before the disaster, 36 of 54 commercial nuclear reactors owned by the nine companies were in operation, generating 26.81 percent of power consumed in their service areas.

Following the accident, the ratio of power generated by such plants declined to 2.46 percent.

In contrast, the ratio of electricity generated by thermal power stations, which had stood at 50.08 percent, sharply rose to 73.82 percent. The ratio for hydraulic power stations remains largely unchanged.

"We've managed to make up for a decrease in power generated by nuclear plants by fully operating thermal plants," says a high-ranking official with the Osaka-based Kansai Electric Power Co.

The nine power suppliers' increased reliance on thermal power pushed up their total fuel costs over the
April-December period of last year alone by approximately 1.43 trillion yen.

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