Japan might ration electricity this summer

Japan pays the price for taking all its nuclear reactors offline.

The Japanese government will announce electricity rationing contingency plans by mid-June. Since all of Japan’s nuclear reactors are non-operational, the government expects power shortages in western and northern Japan.

Blackouts are expected to be limited to a few hours per day in each area. Essential services such as railways, hospitals and fire departments, however, will be exempt.

Japan is turning to liquefied natural gas and crude oil for thermal power plants to offset electricity lost from nuclear plants, but the immense import cost of both products contributed to Japan’s record US$6.5 billion trade deficit in April.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a parliamentary investigation panel that the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident of March 2011 overwhelmed the government’s crisis management system.

He pointed to several missteps in communication among government agencies and with the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which he said led to his personal intervention in managing the accident. As a result, Kan recommended that Japan reduce its dependence on nuclear energy.