The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) has made the Shiobara
Power Station (Capacity: 900,000 kW, located at Nasushiobara-shi,
Tochigi prefecture) ready for generation, by pumping up water from
the lower dam(named Sabigawa Dam) to the upper dam (named Yashio Dam)
last night, just in case that the balance of demand and supply could
be tighter. The Shiobara Power Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric
power station*1, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
has given a temporary permission*2 to TEPCO for the use of river water
for the Station.
However, thanks to the cooperation of our customers for electricity
conservation, we have gotten through without using the Station today.
We sincerely appreciate our customers' cooperation.
TEPCO will continue all the efforts to secure electricity supply.
We apologize our customers for any inconveniences and worries and ask
to continue more electricity conservation tomorrow.
<Reference> Today's demand(flash report): 60.13 million kW(2PM to 3PM)
*1: Pumped storage hydroelectric power station
Because such power stations possess an outstanding characteristic of
taking only a few minutes to reach full output after starting and
requiring only seconds to adjust output, they can quickly adjust to
sudden changes in electricity demand.
This enables them to play a major role in supplying power in the
afternoon when demand is highest.
*2: Temporary permission for the use of river water
On Jul. 30, in accordance with Article 23 of the River Law (permission
for use of river water), TEPCO received a permission for the use of
water for a limited period of July 30 to September 7, 2007 from the
Kanto Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport.
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