The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan for the first time in seven years issued recommendations to the public on saving electricity due to the heavy load on the power grid in the country.
The authorities appealed to the population, urging citizens to turn off the lights in the premises if possible, turn off electrical appliances if they are not being used at the moment, and also wash clothes in large batches so as not to once again turn on washing machines. Office workers were asked to turn off air conditioners in unused areas, as well as turn off appliances and lights during lunch breaks. In addition, they call to turn off advertising signs, lighting fixtures and TVs in stores and in shop windows.
Such measures will be in effect throughout the country from July 1 to September 30. This is due to calculations that in the event of a strong heat wave in almost all regions of the country, with the exception of southern Okinawa and the island of Hokkaido in the north, the energy reserve factor can be only 3.7%, while the critical level is 3%.
In addition, the authorities are concerned about the situation in the global energy market. Energy prices are rising, and therefore Tokyo is not sure about the stability of their purchases in the future. Also in Japan, some thermal power plants were stopped, and the process of restarting nuclear power plants is extremely slow.
