Blackouts planned for Tokyo
Posted: Mon 14 Mar, 2011 5:18 PM
Following concerns at several nuclear power plants in the aftermath of the tsunami, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is expecting disruptions to its power supply. It has therefore planned systematic blackouts for Tokyo s Metropolitan area by dividing the area into four regions, supplying power to each of those for an average of three hours on a rotating basis.
As of 14:00 pm (Tokyo local time) today, Monday, March 14, none of the planned blackouts have been implemented, however the government and TEPCO have warned that this may well be necessary later in the day. The blackouts have forced rail providers to cancel or reduce service on many lines today in an effort to conserve power.
In the northeast of Japan, where the tsunami hit hardest, there are reports of over 10,000 people dead, injured or missing. As roads and other life-lines in these areas are now impaired or broken, the full extent of the damage cannot yet be determined.
According to inputs supplied by NobuTaka Ishikure, PATA Life Member, Tokyo, Sendai airport, one of the major airports in the areas, is still closed. Highways to/through northeastern Japan are closed to the general public but are still open to emergency vehicles. Japan Rail (JR) and JR Shinkansen are not operating through these areas. West of Tokyo, Hokkaido and the northern big island, all are almost back to normal.
Many major manufacturers closed their factories today, both in an effort to reduce power consumption and because of a shortage of parts normally supplied from firms in the Northeast.
