Japanese Power Giant Tells Users to Switch Off

It is an odd kind of advertising blitz that begs customers to buy less, but that is exactly the message being pushed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) in a series of advertisements in the press and on television.

The company has been forced into an embarrassing electricity conservation campaign because safety scandals are about to force it to close its 17 nuclear power plants.

Faced with the serious prospect of being unable to supply the needs of its 27m customers in Tokyo and the surrounding area in the months ahead, Tepco is pleading with its domestic customers to turn down room thermostats, adjust refrigerator settings and switch off the mains power supply to televisions sets and video recorders when they are not in use.

"Our most urgent priority at the moment is to make up for the expected power shortage resulting from the suspension," a big advert in yesterday's Daily Yomiuri said.

"Under the circumstances, we are asking our customers to cooperate in energy-saving efforts. We apologise for the inconvenience."

What the adverts fail to mention is that Tepco was forced to act because its safety inspectors failed for more than 10 years to report cracks at its power plants.

When the cover-up was exposed last year the government ordered the operation of its reactors suspended. .

Tepco has tried to compensate by reopening conventional power stations, buying energy from other companies, and asking those running factories and large buildings to introduce conservation policies.

But it remains worried that these measures will not be sufficient if the reactors stay closed during the summer, when air-conditioners put a heavy strain on electricity generation.

It has tried to set an example by turning off some lifts in its own buildings and asking its staff to switch off non-essential lights at lunchtime.

Earlier this month Tokyo metropolitan government joined the campaign, switching off lifts and dimming vestibule lights in some of its larger buildings.