POWER June 2012 - 57

ResouRce planning
Japan (served by Chubu, Kansai, and Hokuriku)
opted to go with generators from U.S.
company General Electric Co., which used a
60-Hz standard (Figure 5).
Three substations in Shizuoka Prefecture
and one in Nagano Prefecture could convert
the cycles and transfer electricity from the
west to the east-but their capacity was limited
to 1.13 GW a day.
The chaos was mitigated only by compulsory
power cuts and energy-saving measures,
mainly in the Kanto region. Later, as power
demand climbed in the summer of 2011, stringent
energy conservation measures helped
lead to a 12% reduction in power consumption
(relative to 2010) in August, and more
significantly, a reduction in peak demand
reaching 18%, exceeding the government
target of 15%, experts said. This was only
achieved because energy efficiency, called
setsuden, was already a growing movement
in Japan, thanks to a campaign spearheaded
by the media and embraced by companies and
households. In the days following the quake,
setsuden assumed the garb of national unity,
comparable to early post-World War II efforts
by the Japanese to rebuild their country.
Rapid Industry Changes
Setsuden has had far-reaching implications
for power-thirsty northeastern Japan. In an
April 16 bulletin, the FEPC said total power
generated by its members declined by 5.1%
in fiscal year 2011 (which begins and ends in
March), due in large part to efficiency measures
nationwide.
The closure of several nuclear plants also
created marked changes in the country's generation
profile, foremost among them a yearto-year
25.8% increase in thermal power
generation to 610.69 billion kWh. This means
Japan's coal-, gas-, and oil-powered plants
generated more than 65% of the country's
power. Nuclear power generation dropped
62.9% compared with 2010, accounting for
just 100.7 billion kWh. Nuclear capacity factors
in 2011 were 24.7% compared with 67%
in 2010.
Not surprisingly, new nuclear safety
measures have been implemented. As well
as completely halting construction of new
nuclear reactors, new rules require that all
reactors undergo two-phase stress tests. The
tests (to determine whether the plants can
withstand large earthquakes and tsunamis)
are carried out while reactors are offline for
periodic inspections; plants that have entered
scheduled maintenance outages since the accident
cannot resume operations until they
get government approval.
Among major reforms to nuclear sector
oversight is the creation of a new independent
nuclear regulation agency under the
Environmental Ministry that will combine
the role of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency (NISA) and Nuclear Safety Commission
(NSC)-regulatory bodies that came
under stiff criticism for their handling of the
Fukushima crisis last year. This reorganization
seeks to create an entity responsible for
regulating nuclear power generation that is
separate from the entity promoting it. FEPC
is expected to establish an independent organization
to study nuclear safety measures.
5. Incompatible grids. After the quake and tsunami forced several large power plants offline in
March 2011, plants in southwestern Japan, which were largely unscathed, could not alleviate power
shortages in the northeast, even though they had surplus capacity. The country's grid not only is isolated
from other Asian countries, but also, the western grid operates at 60 Hz, whereas the eastern
grid operates at 50 Hz. Chubu EPC plans to increase the capacity of the Higashi-Shizmu substation
from 135 MW to 300 MW by late 2014 to reinforce the east-west connection. Courtesy: Tosaka
500kV powerlines
275~187kV powerlines
A Lingering Shadow on the
Electricity Sector
" Looking back, the past year has been
marked by a series of emergencies, which
the electric power utilities have never experienced
before, " Makoto Yagi, FEPC chair said
in March.
Japan's power companies now face the
difficult task of restoring public trust in
the electricity industry and nuclear power.
FEPC's primary goal in short term is to " secure
the necessary supply capacity while
keeping demand under control " and ensuring
nuclear safety, " Yagi said, noting that various
discussions were ongoing concerning the
electric power sector, energy policy, nuclear
policy, and reforms of the electric power
system. " Further delays in restarting these
plants could cause power shortages that significantly
affect people's daily lives, and the
economy and industry of Japan. "
According to the Institute of Energy Economics
Japan (IEEJ), despite the " gloomy
shadow " cast on Japan's electric sector, most
energy supplies have been restored. All damaged
thermal plants are back online-with
the exception of Tohoku's 2,000-MW Haramachi
coal-thermal station, which will restart
in the summer of 2013.
But the task of reconstruction continues
to be overwhelming, the Tokyo-based think
tank said in a mid-March update. While
only 6% of debris and rubble-amounting
to some 22 million tons-have been cleared
in the quake-stricken prefecture, and many
evacuees have yet to return to their homes,
summer is looming, it warns, and the country
is facing closure of every last one of its
50 operational reactors (not counting the
four destroyed Daiichi units).
As this article was going to press, only
Hokkaido EPC's Tomari Unit 3 remained
online, but it was scheduled to be shut
down for routine inspections in early May.
The remaining 49 were shut for periodic
inspections, unplanned inspection, or even
anticipated decommissioning. NISA, which
is overseen by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade, and Industry (METI), has so far appraised
and rated " appropriate " the primary
test reports of Kansai EPC's Oh-i Unit 3
and 4, and Shikoku EPC's Ikata Unit 3.
Even so, " we cannot be optimistic on
Shin-Shinano frequency converter
Sakuma frequency converter
Higashi-Shimuzu substation
Anan Kihoku DC main line
June 2012 | POWER
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the outcome, " Junichi Ogasawara, IEEJ's
group leader of its electric power group,
cautioned. For one, plant restarts will depend
on new safety standards based on
lessons learned from Fukushima, which
means none will be operational until the
full investigation into the Fukushima crisis
is concluded. And, " It is still uncertain if
local governments and societies would accept
restart of nuclear power plants even if
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POWER June 2012

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