TEPCO to conduct first ever rolling blackout amid power shortage - through end of April

[jpak]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/13/us-japan-quake-tepco-idUSTRE72C2SB20110313

Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Sunday that it would conduct its first-ever rolling blackout from Monday to help prevent an unexpected large-scale power outage after a powerful earthquake shut two nuclear plants indefinitely on Friday.

Blackouts will be conducted in turns at five areas in nine prefectures that it serves, as TEPCO expects peak power demand of 41 million kilowatts for Monday, exceeding supplies by 10 million kw.

A blackout in one area is equivalent to cutting power supplies by about 5 million kw. Planned blackouts will affect 3 million customers, including large factories and buildings, the company said.

TEPCO expects to discontinue the rolling blackout by the end of April, when it can restore 10 million kw worth of power from its thermal power units.

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[tekisui]

1. Wow, rolling blackouts for a month and a half.

All the while a million +/- in need of water, food and electricity. The logistics of tending to the survivors in need during a massive clean-up and rolling blackouts are going to be a nightmare.

[dipsydoodle]

2. We had those in the UK in the '70s during the miners strike

They're fine actually. At least you can organise around them given their predictability.

[FBaggins]

3. Power shortage... or positioning?

Sure... they have lots of generating capacity offline (and much of it will STAY offline for some time), but they also have lots of DEMAND that's "offline" too (unfortunately). Of course the question is what the relative levels are.

If I were a cynical anti-nuke, I might wonder whether the rolling blackouts were a ploy to constantly remind people what it's like to do without power. So when the question comes up re: building more plants or even cutting some of them... they have a little perspective.

Like european unions taking periodic strikes just to remind people what a hassle it is to do without the trains (or whatever).