The government is in talks with utilities to add equipment to channel more electricity from western Japan to ease shortages in the east, including Tokyo, after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami shut nuclear plants.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has started talks with companies including Tokyo Electric Power Co., owner of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, to add transformers to help overcome differences in operating frequencies between the two regions, said Noriyuki Mita, a director for policy planning in METI's electricity and gas division.
The ministry wants the conversion capacity to be added within two years, while utilities have said in discussions it may take longer, said another ministry official, who asked not to be named because he isn't authorized to speak to the media.