Tokyo, 8 other prefectures brace for blackouts amid supply crunch in wake of powerful quake

TOKYO -- Japan's industry ministry said on Tuesday that a power outage could occur at around 8 pm local time, with as many as 3 million households affected in Tokyo and other areas in Japan's east and northeast.

The latest warning from the government follows Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda earlier Tuesday urging people living in Tokyo and eight other prefectures to lower the amount of electricity they consume due to a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck last week knocking out some thermal power plants.

Hagiuda's request was made amid an unseasonably cold weather front which saw parts of Tokyo hit by snow and sleet on Tuesday as the mercury plunged to below 2 degrees Celsius in some parts.

Major utility Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) had suggested there could be shortages in power supply in the regions it services, as some of its thermal power plants remain offline in the wake of Wednesday's powerful quake, which rocked Japan's northeast.

The government had previously issued a warning over a lack of electricity supply.

"The government may ask for greater cooperation in the future to reduce consumption, depending on how the situation evolves," Hagiuda told a press briefing earlier Tuesday.

According to TEPCO, also the owner and operator of the crisis-hit Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, it had received reserves of power from other distributors, including those serving other areas of Japan, by 7 am local time.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), along with TEPCO, are requesting homes and businesses to conserve energy by keeping heating to a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius and by turning off lights that aren't needed.

Along with Tokyo, Hagiuda has asked for the prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi and Shizuoka to follow suit and take measures to conserve power.

The industry ministry said the nation has not faced such a severe power supply crunch since the wake of the 2011 quake-triggered nuclear disaster at the plant in Fukushima.