The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) has made the Shiobara 
Power Station (Capacity: 900,000 kW, located at Nasushiobara-shi, 
Tochigi prefecture) ready for generation, by pumping up water from 
the lower dam(named Sabigawa Dam) to the upper dam (named Yashio Dam) 
last night, just in case that the balance of demand and supply could 
be tighter.  The Shiobara Power Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric 
power station*1, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport 
has given a temporary permission*2 to TEPCO for the use of river water 
for the Station.  

However, thanks to the cooperation of our customers for electricity 
conservation, we have gotten through without using the Station today.
We sincerely appreciate our customers' cooperation.

TEPCO will continue all the efforts to secure electricity supply.  
We apologize our customers for any inconveniences and worries and ask 
to continue more electricity conservation tomorrow. 

<Reference> Today's demand(flash report): 60.13 million kW(2PM to 3PM)

*1: Pumped storage hydroelectric power station
    Because such power stations possess an outstanding characteristic of
    taking only a few minutes to reach full output after starting and 
    requiring only seconds to adjust output, they can quickly adjust to 
    sudden changes in electricity demand. 
    This enables them to play a major role in supplying power in the 
    afternoon when demand is highest.

*2: Temporary permission for the use of river water
    On Jul. 30, in accordance with Article 23 of the River Law (permission 
    for use of river water), TEPCO received a permission for the use of 
    water for a limited period of July 30 to September 7, 2007 from the 
    Kanto Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure 
    and Transport.