Japan suffers blackouts as it issues unprecedented power supply warning after earthquake

Officials say last week’s earthquake left six thermal plants damaged near Tokyo, prompting electricity crisis

Parts of Japan were without electricity on Tuesday, hours after authorities issued an urgent plea warning of blackouts after an earthquake last week forced several power plants to shut down.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said that as of 11.34am (2.3am GMT), around 2,120 households in three prefectures near the city were without power.

Tepco added that the powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit northeast Japan on 16 March had affected its supply capacity.

The earthquake off the coast in Soma, Fukushima, killed four people and injured around 150. It caused blackouts for a few hours in the Tokyo area, while over 24,000 households serviced by the Tohoku Electric Power Co were without power for almost a day.

The quake came just days after the 11th anniversary of the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear reactor.

Trade minister Koichi Hagiuda said the earthquake had left six thermal plants un-operational in Tepco and Tohoku Electric Power Co’s coverage areas, and the damage to equipment could keep some inoperable for many more weeks or months.

“At this rate, we are coming closer to a state where we will have to conduct power outages similar to those that took place after the quake,” he said at a press conference on Monday.

Government officials warned that power supply was expected to fall short of demand on Tuesday evening.

Sushi maker Akio Hanzawa walks in front of his damaged restaurant in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture (AFP/Getty)

Mr Hagiuda urged households and businesses to reduce their power consumption as much as possible. He added that the measures could continue through the week.

Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also appealed to residents in eastern Japan to save power.

“We request your cooperation ... such as by setting your thermostats at around 20C and switching off any unnecessary lights,” he said.

In its warning, Tepco said there could be partial outages in Tokyo and Tohoku regions between 8pm and 11pm local time, which could leave some two to three million buildings without power.

The supply has also been affected by low temperatures in the region.

Tokyo is facing an increased electricity demand due to snowfall in central parts of the city. More snow has been forecast for the next 24 hours, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Western, more mountainous parts of the city also expect heavy snowfall.

The Tohoku Electric Power Company, which services the area next to Tokyo, has also asked its users to conserve power amid the power shortage.

Additional reporting by agencies