The government said Friday it will ask households and companies in Hokkaido to cut electricity use by more than 7 percent from fiscal 2010 levels as part of efforts to ride out the winter without nuclear power.

Specific power-saving targets will not be set for any other parts of the country because regional utilities are expected to secure enough electricity to meet demand, although these areas will still be asked to make voluntarily efforts to limit energy use, the government said.

This will be the first winter since the nuclear crisis erupted in March last year that Hokkaido Electric Power Co. will have none of its reactors online.