The electric company (Tokyo Electric Power Co.) announced Sunday night (10pm?) that it would start rolling planned blackouts on Monday morning. The issue is the lack of supply due to shutdown of many generating plants after the earthquake. The most famous (infamous) is the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The announcement, by the CEO, was late and details were fuzzy. The schedule and list of areas was unclear, looked like a faxed draft, and some towns appeared on multiple lists.
As Monday morning came, a TEPCO spokesman had two more press conferences, resulting in the following pattern:
1. Announced the planned blackouts
2. Announced the planned blackouts wouldn't be needed
3. Announced the planned blackouts might happen later if needed
As it turned out, the first four areas were not blacked out. Demand for power was lower than expected, due partly to measures such as reduced train service.
Other times I'm impressed by the calm, measured planning and execution in Japan, but this time it was just totally half-baked.
Glad you all are OK! Thanks for the updates. Be safe!
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz! We avoided a blackout yesterday and today (lucky!).
ReplyDeleteWe're glued to the TV wondering about the nuclear plant.