Discrepancies in Power Outage Schedules Cause Confusion

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--On Sunday, March 13, Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo) announced that it would be unable to cater to its service area's power demands due to compromised electrical infrastructure and the loss of several key power stations, including Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear power stations.

As a result, the company broke its service area into five groups that would undergo scheduled power outages in specified blocks. TEPCO's service area includes Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, as well as the Kanto region of Japan, which is comprised of Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Gunma, Tochigi, Saitama and Ibaraki prefectures. TEPCO typically provides for a daily 41-gigawatt (GW) power demand from these areas, but announced on Sunday that it would only be able to provide 31 GW, and called on residents, businesses and industries to cooperate in conserving power to aid in power outages. Companies that have or are voluntarily suspending operations to aid in power conservation include the following:

• NEC Corporation (TYO:6701) (Tokyo)
• Suzuki Motor Corporation (TYO:7269) (Hamamatsu, Japan)
• Hino Motors Limited (TYO:7205) (Tokyo)
• Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (TYO:7211) (Tokyo)
• Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (TYO: 7270) (Tokyo)
• Isuzu Motors Limited (TYO: 7202) (Tokyo)
• Panasonic Corporation (TYO: 6752) (Tokyo)
• Nippon Steel Corporation (TYO: 5401) (Tokyo)
• Kirin Brewery Company (TYO: 2503 ) (Tokyo)

However, despite clear announcements and warnings, power outages have not happened at scheduled times in certain areas. Some areas, such as Kofu, Yamanashi, have received mixed announcements of changed times, but have yet to experience any power outages. Businesses have closed down during power outage times allotted by TEPCO, only to lose significant business. No one is sure of exactly when power outages will take place, and most residents are losing patience with announcements and are beginning to disregard them.

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