Tokyo area warned of power outages due to cold, quake damage

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s government is alerting the Tokyo area of potential blackouts because power supplies are low after several coal-fired plants temporarily stopped generating electricity following last week’s earthquake. The rare alert coincided with snow and unusually cold weather Tuesday that prompted people to use heaters. A magnitude-7.4 earthquake last week caused temporary outages while coal-fired plants assessed and repaired damage. Power has been restored since, but the grid was strained by the snow and cold. A government minister said conservation efforts so far Tuesday weren’t enough to avoid blackouts and urged businesses and residents to cooperate.