Page 6 - AsiaElec Week 11 2022

AsiaElec DISASTERS AsiaElec

Japan earthquake halts

power supplies, prompts

memories of Fukushima

JAPAN POWER was cut in central and northern Japan liquefied natural gas import terminal also halted
after an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter operations due to a power outage, according to
scale hit the coast of Fukushima prefecture in the the trade ministry statement.
morning of March 17. Areas of Tokyo lost power immediately after
Around 5,775 households serviced by the quake, though most regained it within three
Tohoku Electric Power Co around the city of hours.
Fukushima in the northeast of the country Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said more
remained without electricity 12 hours after the than 2.09 million households in nine prefec-
event, Reuters reported. tures in its service area were being left without
At least 6.1GW of gas- and coal-fired power electricity.
capacity was shut after the earthquake, Japan’s These include more than 700,000 households
trade ministry said, Bloomberg reported. in Tokyo, over 300,000 in Kanagawa, more than
Wholesale power prices spiked, with next- 290,000 in Saitama, over 210,000 in Chiba, more
day delivery hitting JPY47.75 ($0.50) per kWh, than 220,000 in Ibaraki, more than 120,000 in
according to data from the Japan Electric Power Tochigi, more than 80,000 in Gunma, more
Exchange. than 110,000 in Yamanashi, and over 26,000 in
However, there should be no power short- Shizuoka.
ages as Japan’s electricity network coordina- Four people died and Prime Minister Fumio
tor ordered other utilities to supply power to Kishida said that the government would be on
Tohoku Electric Power. high alert for the possibility of further strong
Jera’s Hirono No. 5 and No. 6 coal-fired power tremors over the next two to three days.
plant were taken offline, the trade ministry said, As ever in Japan, any earthquake revives
while several of Tohoku Electric Power thermal memories of the 9.1 magnitude Fukushima
power units were also halted. A power plant at quake on March 11, 2011.
Eneos Holdings’ Negishi oil refinery also closed The quake took place in the same prefecture
down, according the ministry. as the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP). ™
Japan Petroleum Exploration Co.’s Soma

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 11 16•March•2022