Hokkaido Electric Confident of Stable Power Supply in Winter

October 24, 2018

Sapporo- Hokkaido Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that it will likely be able to supply electricity stably this winter.

While demand is expected to peak at 5.25 million kilowatts in February, the supply capacity of the power company serving the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido is seen coming to 6.11 million kilowatts, meaning that the company will be able to secure a reserve capacity of 860,000 kilowatts, or 16.4 pct, the utility said.

The margin is far higher than the level of at least 3 pct needed for ensuring stable power supply.

All three units at Hokkaido Electric's Tomato-Atsuma large thermal power plant stopped operating after a powerful earthquake struck Hokkaido on Sept. 6, leading to blackouts across the prefecture.

While the three units have already been brought back online, there have been concerns as to whether Hokkaido Electric can supply electricity stably in the island prefecture in the winter, industry sources said.

Hokkaido Electric said that it can secure a reserve margin of 3 pct even if operations at the three Tomato-Atsuma generators are halted again, partly because it will be able to procure electricity from power suppliers in the country's Honshu main island. Jiji Press