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Cyprus and Japan are having parallel problems of potentially insufficient power this summer, due to their respective disasters.
After the Fukushima tsunami, which happened in mid-season, when most nuclear reactors were closed down for routine maintenance, Japan edicted that they should not be restarted until they went through a series of very serious controls. The last working reactor was taken off-line for maintenance about a month ago so that the country is currently nuclear-free. Current electricity production by thermal and hydroelectric stations, plus a small sprinkling of renewables, is insufficient to meet peak demand.
The Prime Minister has edicted that the Ohi power plant (cooled from the Sea of Japan and not the Pacific) have two of its reactors restarted.
This plant has gone through a series of audits showing that safety has been improved, including a heightened sea wall, displacement of emergency generators to high ground, large coolant reservoirs, containment checks etc. and it has met the new Japanese safety rules for over three months. Local inhabitants wanted it to restart (employment!!!) but this was opposed by a city 30 km away. This opposition has now been removed.
Even so, this is just two reactors of 24 nuclear plants and there will still be a great risk of controlled power outages being necessary during peak demand. Japan does not have a strong grid system, as in Europe, and power generated in one prefecture may not be transportable to another at the other end of the archipelago. The whole situation is very touch-and-go and an unforeseen breakdown in any power plant may have bad consequences.
The situation is very similar to that in Cyprus following the Mari explosion that destroyed most of the generating capacity of the Vasiliou plant. The EAC have bent over backwards to provide us with sufficient energy and have done marvels but, as in Japan, it will be touch-and-go whether the supply can meet the demand. We have weathered the recent 40°C shade temperature well, with a reasonable reserve, but it may be a lot hotter next month. It would require only one 100 MW generator to fail to compromise peak supply with ensuing outages.
Like in Japan, we are being asked to moderate our electricity consumption, especially air-conditioning, to a minimum between, say, 10:00 and 17:00, in hot weather, to reduce the risk of power cuts to a minimum. Let's keep our fingers crossed for both countries.
After the Fukushima tsunami, which happened in mid-season, when most nuclear reactors were closed down for routine maintenance, Japan edicted that they should not be restarted until they went through a series of very serious controls. The last working reactor was taken off-line for maintenance about a month ago so that the country is currently nuclear-free. Current electricity production by thermal and hydroelectric stations, plus a small sprinkling of renewables, is insufficient to meet peak demand.
The Prime Minister has edicted that the Ohi power plant (cooled from the Sea of Japan and not the Pacific) have two of its reactors restarted.
This plant has gone through a series of audits showing that safety has been improved, including a heightened sea wall, displacement of emergency generators to high ground, large coolant reservoirs, containment checks etc. and it has met the new Japanese safety rules for over three months. Local inhabitants wanted it to restart (employment!!!) but this was opposed by a city 30 km away. This opposition has now been removed.
Even so, this is just two reactors of 24 nuclear plants and there will still be a great risk of controlled power outages being necessary during peak demand. Japan does not have a strong grid system, as in Europe, and power generated in one prefecture may not be transportable to another at the other end of the archipelago. The whole situation is very touch-and-go and an unforeseen breakdown in any power plant may have bad consequences.
The situation is very similar to that in Cyprus following the Mari explosion that destroyed most of the generating capacity of the Vasiliou plant. The EAC have bent over backwards to provide us with sufficient energy and have done marvels but, as in Japan, it will be touch-and-go whether the supply can meet the demand. We have weathered the recent 40°C shade temperature well, with a reasonable reserve, but it may be a lot hotter next month. It would require only one 100 MW generator to fail to compromise peak supply with ensuing outages.
Like in Japan, we are being asked to moderate our electricity consumption, especially air-conditioning, to a minimum between, say, 10:00 and 17:00, in hot weather, to reduce the risk of power cuts to a minimum. Let's keep our fingers crossed for both countries.