EDITORIAL: Ministers must take the lead in power conservation

We could avoid blackouts in the Kanto area if the government took the lead in implementing power conservation measures. It has failed to do so. Isn't this irresponsible?

The negative effects of power cuts on our daily lives and on industrial production are too great. There are hospitals without sufficient in-house power generation that are unable to cope properly during the outages. Some factories have been forced to stop production. The knock-on effects are very serious.

Car accidents at intersections where traffic lights are not operating are also a safety threat.

At one point in the present crisis, the power generating capacity of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) fell to 31 million kilowatts. That has increased somewhat now that the thermal power plants in the Tokyo Bay area are back on line. However, thermal plants in Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures are too badly damaged for the company to be able to predict when they will be restored to the grid.

TEPCO says it will try to increase power output by re-activating idle power generators. The company needs to explore other measures, such as increasing the amount of power it buys from private companies that generate their own electricity.

Despite these efforts, power shortages will continue for quite some time.

The blackouts are exacerbating the damage done by the quake. We must not allow this to continue. It is now time for the government to take the lead and implement a thorough power conservation program, but it has been dragging its feet. It has done nothing but make a public plea to save energy. Basically, it is leaving the matter to the private sector.

Many within the 23 wards of Tokyo are contributing to the energy conservation efforts, but if you look at how elevators, lights and heating in office buildings are being used, you see that the efforts are not uniform.

Complaints from areas designated for power cuts are increasing.

The 27th provision of the electricity business act allows the government to force electricity users to limit their use.

That law was effective in saving power during the oil crisis.

Past experience shows that, during a power shortage, saving energy is less damaging than power cuts.

The government needs to immediately start talking to industries and major power users to cap the level of power that can be made available to electricity users. The government also needs to ask industries and businesses to come up with ways to avoid a concentration of power consumption in particular time slots. Businesses could shorten their working hours, alternate between different work places, or perhaps increase the number of days off.

Private homes need information on how to conserve energy. Guidelines such as recommending a greater reliance on gas, using only one air conditioner, etc., would also be helpful. Raising electricity fees for peak time periods to discourage concentrated use might also be worth considering.

We should make sure our daily lives and economic activities continue while implementing scheduled power conservation measures. That, in turn, will help the affected areas recover more quickly.

-- The Asahi Shimbun March. 27