Tohoku Electric Power Co., the utility that provides electricity to the region devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, may have to consider rolling blackouts because of higher-than-expected temperatures.
The utility planned to buy 800 megawatts from Tokyo Electric Power Co. as of about 8:30 a.m. Monday and then decided to increase it to 1,100 megawatts because average temperatures in its service area rose to more than its forecast of 32 degrees, said Satoru Ishii, a company spokesman, by phone.
On Tuesday, Tepco agreed to supply 1,400 megawatts to Tohoku Electric, the top limit under Tohoku Electric's contract with Tepco, to avert blackouts in its service area. Later in the day, Tepco and Tohoku Electric agreed to raise the limit by 600 megawatts, or more than 40 percent, to 2,000 megawatts, officials said.