On Monday, the Japanese government issued a notice urging people in Tokyo and surrounding areas to reduce their electricity consumption. Otherwise, may be out of supply.
To put it bluntly, this is to ask everyone to turn on the lights less often and not turn on the air conditioner unless necessary. There are several backgrounds to the
matter.
First of all, the high temperature and heat wave in summer have an impact on the power load.
The Japanese government also requires them to turn off unnecessary lights for three hours starting from 15:00 Tokyo time, and to use air conditioners, water refills and other equipment appropriately.
Secondly, in March, the earthquake in northeastern Japan affected the operation of some nuclear power plants, and some aging fossil fuel plants were closed in order to reduce carbon emissions. The depreciation of the yen and the increase in the price of natural gas have also had a considerable impact on the operating costs of power plants.
The frequent occurrence of extreme climates around the world is also a common phenomenon.
Remember last week, Australia was also affected by electricity. The Australian Energy Minister urged eight million Australians to turn off their lights when necessary.
Many people will be curious, Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of coal and liquefied natural gas , why there is also a power crisis.
First, three-quarters of Australia's electricity is still generated by coal. This year, frequent floods have submerged coal mines in some parts of Australia, and due to technical problems, some coal mines need to suspend production for maintenance.
The second reason is the rise in global energy prices caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has caused the costs of power producers to soar.
The third reason is that with the relaxation of COVID-19 policies and the gradual recovery of the economy, the demand for electricity has surged. With more demand and output remaining unchanged, electricity has become tense.
Because the cost of generating electricity is much higher than the selling price, the Australian Energy Market Operator, in order to make up for the losses of power plants, said it will directly set prices to compensate power generators for their losses.
