More nuclear reactor shutdowns lie ahead (JAPAN)

'Shut her down': Chubu Electric Power Co.'s Hamaoka nuclear power plant stands near the coast in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Electricity supply from nuclear plants, already down by almost 20 percent following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, will drop further during peak summer demand as operators shut reactors for maintenance.

Six reactors are scheduled to be offline for checks and maintenance by the end of August. Chubu Electric Power Co. last week shut two reactors out of fear of a natural disaster causing a crisis similar to the one at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The planned shutdowns mean 75 percent of Japan's nuclear power capacity will be idled or damaged by August when air conditioning demand surges as temperatures can rise to as high as 40 degrees.

Companies and households may have to cut production and usage to avoid blackouts, said Junichi Ogasawara at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.

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