Tokyo, Tohoku to end power curbs

Japan will end mandatory energy curbs in greater Tokyo and northern areas damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami.

Public fears about nuclear safety after the Fukushima crisis have prevented local governments from giving utilities the go-ahead to restart any reactors since March, leaving uncertainty over whether power supplies will cover demand at peak times.

The government has lifted a 15 percent curb on large-lot users, imposed since July 1, in areas covered by Tokyo Electric Power Co , the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and Tohoku Electric Power Co , whose power plants were also hit by the disaster.

"We will continue to strive to secure stable supply, but would like to ask our customers for continued conservation within tolerable levels," Toshio Nishizawa, President of Tokyo Electric, known as Tepco, said in a statement.

Tepco figures showed peak demand this summer was around 50,000 MW, about 9,000-10,000 MW less than last summer, which was unusually hot.

Tohoku Electric President Makoto Kaiwa also issued a statement calling for voluntary conservation as the utility expected "tight supply conditions to continue for a while".'

Tohoku Electric said later it would extend its request for surplus power from Tepco during weekdays until next Friday. It will receive 300 MW a day from Sept. 12-16 to ensure it has enough daytime supply in case of a prolonged heatwave.

The full story is available at Reuters.