The Japanese government urged residents and industrial sectors across Tokyo on Friday to conserve electricity during July and August to ensure stable energy supplies during the peak of summer; however, it did not specify any target numbers.
The electricity market in the country is expected to face less pressure this summer in most areas compared to last summer when the government requested nationwide electricity conservation, according to forecasts from the Ministry of Industry in May.
However, the ministry decided to encourage conservation "within a reasonable range" during these two months in areas supplied by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), as the reserve capacity rate is estimated to be below five percent, approaching the minimum threshold needed to ensure stable electricity supplies at three percent.
The ministry reported that the expected reserve capacity rate, in the event of a heatwave that occurs only once every ten years, is 3.1 percent in July and 4.8 percent in August for the Tokyo area, while the rate remains above five percent in other parts of the country during these two months.
A decrease in the reserve capacity rate below three percent threatens to lead to power outages and energy shortages.
