Gov't mulls separating TEPCO's power production, transmission units
The government is looking into the possibility of dividing Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), at the center of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, into power generation and transmission units as it considers injecting capital into the embattled utility giant, it was learned April 4.
Under the scenario, the projected transmission unit will be merged with another major electric power firm as TEPCO faces potentially huge damages claims from residents and other parties in connection with radiation leaks from its nuclear power plant, which was seriously damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan is considering temporarily bringing TEPCO under state control to deal with such claims and ensure a stable supply of electricity. But a government source said, "We cannot gain the Japanese people's understanding by rescuing TEPCO, which has caused such a serious accident, simply through the use of public funds."
If TEPCO's separation and consolidation with another utility become a reality, the nation may witness a historic restructuring of its power industry. Currently, 10 big power companies enjoy a virtual monopoly from power generation to power transmission in various regions.
Of the 10 major utilities, TEPCO towers over the nine others and its sales of about 5 trillion yen are nearly double that of its closest rival Kansai Electric Power Co. As of the end of last year, TEPCO had interest-bearing debts of about 7.5 trillion yen.
TEPCO's financial woes are likely to get worse as the utility is confronted with the daunting task of dealing with the crippled nuclear power plant and damages claims.
The government hopes to limit the term of TEPCO's nationalization to a minimum, and there may be strong public resistance to its plan to salvage the utility through an injection of public funds. "It will be difficult to allow TEPCO to operate under its present name (after the end of TEPCO's temporary nationalization)," said a source working under Kan at the Prime Minister's Office.
Some people think that TEPCO is too massive to merge as a whole with another electric power company. Accordingly, there are several proposals under study, including separating TEPCO's electricity generation and transmission units and merging its transmission segment with Tohoku Electric Power Co. to create an "East Japan Electric Power" firm. Another is to combine the unit with Kansai Electric to unify the different frequencies to help ensure a long-term stable supply of electricity.
The government's plan for TEPCO's power generation unit is aimed at turning it into a power wholesaler which will sell electricity to power-transmission firms.
Also under consideration is a plan to nationalize TEPCO's nuclear power division, which is expected to require huge amounts of money to decommission the crippled nuclear power plant and treat radioactive materials.
(Mainichi Japan) April 4, 2011
東日本大震災：福島第１原発事故 東電、発電・送電分離案 大手と統合検討－－政府
福島第１原発で深刻な事故を起こした東京電力への公的支援に関連し、政府内で東電を発電部門と送電部門に分離し、送電部門を他の大手電力会社などに統合する処理案が浮上していることが４日、明らかになった。東電は福島原発事故の放射性物質の漏えいで巨額の損害賠償が見込まれる。
政府は原発周辺の避難住民らへの賠償に万全を期すとともに、電力供給の安定を図るため、東電に出資して管理下に置く方針。しかし「深刻な事故を起こした東電を公的資金で救済するだけでは、国民の理解が得られない」（政府筋）と見ており、分離処理案が浮上した。
東電の分離と他の電力会社への統合が実現すれば、電力大手１０社が地域ごとに発電から送電まで電力事業を事実上独占する戦後の電力体制の再編につながる可能性がある。
１０社の中でも、東電は売上高が関西電力の約２倍の約５兆円と断トツの存在で、昨年末時点で約７兆５０００億円の有利子負債を抱える。福島原発の処理や数兆円にのぼると見込まれる損害賠償負担で経営が悪化するのは確実で、政府は東電破綻を防ぐため、出資して一時的に公的管理下に置く方針を固めている。
ただ、公的管理の長期化は避けたい考えで、最終処理策の検討も進めている。政府が公的資金で救済することには国民の反発も予想され、政府は「（公的管理脱却後の最終処理では）東電の看板のまま存続させるのは難しい」（官邸筋）との見方に傾いている。
また、丸ごと他の電力会社に統合するには規模が大き過ぎるとの指摘もある。このため、政府内では発電部門と送電部門を分離する「発送電分離」に踏み切り、送電部門を東北電力と合併させて「東日本電力」とする案や、ナンバー２の関西電力と統合させて、東西で異なる電力の周波数の統一を進め、長期的な電力の安定供給体制の構築につなげる案などが議論されている。【三沢耕平】
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■ことば
◇発送電分離
東電など電力会社が一貫して行う電力事業を「発電」と「送電」などの機能別に分離し、それぞれ別の事業者に行わせること。発電会社は送電会社に送電線網の使用料を払い、家庭や企業に電力を供給する。実現すれば、鉄鋼会社など発電事業への新規参入組も公平な条件で送電線網が使えるようになり、電力市場の競争が活発化。電気料金の値下げや太陽光発電など再生可能エネルギーの普及促進につながると指摘される。
英訳
福島第１原発：堤防にも損傷 ２号機の汚染水流出か
福島第１原発：自主避難、消えた村 ３０キロ圏内の葛尾
福島原発：「天災ではない」佐藤栄佐久・前知事
汚染水着色し追跡 ２号機立て坑亀裂
福島原発：廃炉求める緊急要請書 地元団体など
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