Companies and households across the country may be asked to cut electricity use again this summer to cope with possible power shortages stemming from the nation's almost total nuclear power shutdown, a government source said.
A set of "setsuden" power-saving measures will be compiled in late April ahead of the expected summer hike in electricity demand, as only two nuclear reactors are currently operating amid safety concerns over the use of atomic power since the March 2011 start of the Fukushima meltdown crisis, the sources said Tuesday.
Similar requests were issued for the summer and winter seasons of 2011 and 2012.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said that idled reactors will be restarted once their safety has been confirmed, to ensure stable electricity supply and reduce energy costs.