Chubu Electric Power Co. said Thursday that it will suspend operation of its two thermal power plants in Aichi Prefecture for an indefinite period starting in October.
The move is in response to falling electricity demand for industrial use, the company said. Power demand by large-lot industrial users in August dropped 3.6 percent from a year earlier.
With industrial activities likely to suffer further setbacks as an aftereffect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the company said it may see a huge drop in electricity demand, especially, at factories.
The two power plants -- Atsumi No. 1 and Nishi Nagoya No. 5 -- respectively boast a capacity of 500,000 kwh, together accounting for some 3 percent of the firm's total power supply.
Their closure will bring the firm's number of suspended thermal power plants to eight.