3-11 Quake - 1 Year On - Pay your respects here

[ainsoph9]

Converting the frequencies between 50/60 Hz takes devoted equipment. If all of one side (i.e., the 50 Hz part of Japan) goes down, that means that the 60 Hz has to compensate for the loss somehow without compromising the system stability and integrity. This means that one side is probably buy power like mad from the other side to stay online without violating government code. This is expensive and only provides a temporary solution. Even if the market makes it cheaper to turn on the peaking units than to buy power from other companies, it is still expensive.

I do not know the exact current situation there. However, depending on the how much power the nukes generate, it is possible that Tokyo is still having problems. The real problem will be how the weather behaves this summer. If it is really hot and stormy, that will not be good for the power grid there. People like their A/C, which hogs a lot of power. Downed power lines put additional stress on the system as well. It would not surprise me to see the local balancing authority mandate certain protective measures such as curtailing power usage to keep the power on overall.