Japan Press Weekly

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2012 May 23 - 29 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

KEPCO suspends reward system to high energy users

Met with public criticism, Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) on May 21 announced the suspension of its reward system to high energy users.

In the announcement KEPCO states, “We plan to revise the point system to reward customers in proportion to their power consumption as a power shortage is anticipated this summer.”

The utility had introduced the system under which a household would be awarded a point for each 10 kWh of electricity it uses. Energy users can then exchange their accumulated points for items such as hotel coupons, expensive puddings, and gift vouchers.

The Japanese Communist Party’s prefectural committees and its Dietmembers’ group made representations to KEPCO regarding the system last November. They requested the utility to reconsider the system, saying, “It may encourage some customers to use more electricity.” Some members in the government’s commission to project a power supply-demand balance also expressed the need to review such incentives for the same reasons.

Horiuchi Terufumi, JCP candidate for the election of the House of Representatives, who participated in the representations, criticized the power supplier for having conducted a campaign to urge the public to use more electricity while insisting that the restart of off-line nuclear power reactors is essential to avoid a power shortage. He said, “The point system suspension is a matter of common sense.”