Japanese power utility Hokuriku Electricity Power will shut the 250MW No.2 coal-fired power unit at its Toyama Shinko power complex, after reducing its operational capacity following an earthquake on 1 January.
Hokuriku plans to close the No.2 unit in Toyama prefecture during 5-8 January for checks, according to a power plant operational status notice by the Japan Electric Power Exchange.
The company had reduced the capacity of the 250MW No.1 and 250MW No.2 units to 150MW each following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Japan's northern Hokuriku area on 1 January, which led to widespread damage. The earthquake forced the shutdown of several of the country's thermal power plants, including the 500MW No.1 and the 700MW No.2 coal-fired units at Hokuriku's Nanao Ota power complex in Ishikawa prefecture. The company has not provided a timeline for the restart of the units.
Hokuriku also reduced the operational capacity of its sole gas-fired unit, the 500MW No.2 unit at Toyama Shinko, to 250MW on 3 January, but decided to close the unit for repairs on 4 January. The gas-fired unit is planned to resume operations on 8 January.
Meanwhile, Japan's largest electricity producer by capacity Jera was forced to close the 595MW No.2-2 gas-fired power unit at its Jyoetsu power complex in Niigata prefecture during 1-3 January, and reduce operational capacity of the 595MW No.1-1 and the 595MW No.2-1 gas-fired power units at Jyoetsu to 329MW each.
Around 31,000 households in Ishikawa prefecture still face blackouts resulting from damage to power distribution systems, Hokuriku said. But power supplies will not be affected in the Hokuriku region. This is because the electricity reserve level in the Hokuriku area was more than 24pc at 4:30-5pm Japan time (7:30-8am GMT) on 4 January, well above the ideal level of 8pc.
