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Japan Government Projects Enough Power to Meet Peak Summer Demand

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Japan has enough electricity resources to meet the expected surge in demand during the peak summer months between July and September, according to the government's outlook for electricity supply and demand for the season.

The report by the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators expects all regions in Japan to maintain a reserve power margin of 3% needed to keep the grid stable, even under the Extreme Heat H1 demand scenario which assumes severe heat conditions occurring once every 10 years.

In July, when power demand is expected to be high, fuel reserves are expected to match last year's levels, according to a translated copy of the Japanese report.

The situation could be tight in certain regions with reserves near the 3% minimum range and additional measures may be required to bolster grid capacity and ensure stable supply, it added.

Low power reserves were projected for the Tokyo region for summer 2026 at the end of October last year, following which the government secured an extra 976,000 kilowatt of supply capacity for approximately 300 million yen ($1.89 million), the report said.

Due to the ongoing global energy supply crisis as a result of the ongoing Middle East conflict, OCCTO is carrying out an adhoc implementation of its kWh monitoring program rather than just during peak summer and winter seasons.

The program calculates the projected fuel requirements for specific target power sources by subtracting power generated from renewables and base-load plants from total nationwide demand.

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