Tokyo Electric Power Company facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated

Headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo
Native name	東京電力ホールディングス株式会社
Romanized name	Tōkyō Denryoku Hōrudingusu kabushiki gaisha
Type	Public KK
Traded as	TYO: 9501
Industry	Electric utility
Predecessor	The Tokyo Electric Light Company, Inc. (founded in 1883)
Founded	Tokyo, Japan (May 1, 1951; 74 years ago (1951-05-01))
Headquarters	Chiyoda, Tokyo , Japan
Area served	Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki, Yamanashi, and east Shizuoka
Key people	Yoshimitsu Kobayashi (Chairman) Tomoaki Kobayakawa (President)
Services	Electric generation, transmission, and distribution
Revenue	¥6,802.5 billion (2015)
Operating income	¥316.5 billion (2015)
Net income	¥451.6 billion (2015)
Total assets	¥14,212.7 billion (2015)
Total equity	¥2,073 billion (2015)
Owner	Government of Japan, through the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (54.74%) TMTBJ investment trusts (6.28%) CBJ investment trusts (1.77%) ESOP (1.50%) Tokyo Metropolitan Government (1.20%) SMBC (1.01%)
Number of employees	37,939 (2022)
Subsidiaries	TEPCO Power Grid TEPCO Fuel & Power TEPCO Energy Partner Tokyo Electric Generation Company

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (Japanese: 東京電力ホールディングス株式会社, Tōkyō Denryoku Hōrudingusu kabushiki gaisha, TEPCO, also known as Tōden (東電) in Japan) is a Japanese company that provides electricity. It is a holding company, which means it owns other companies that do the actual work. TEPCO serves the Kantō region of Japan, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes the big city of Tokyo.

TEPCO's main office is in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. They also have offices in other countries, like Washington, D.C. and London. TEPCO is a founding member of groups that work on new energy ideas and research.

In 2007, TEPCO had to close its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant because of an earthquake. That year, the company lost money for the first time in 28 years. They continued to lose money until the plant reopened in 2009.

After the big 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, one of TEPCO's power plants had a very serious nuclear accident. This was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Because of this accident, many families (about 50,000) had to move from their homes. This happened because radioactive materials escaped into the air, soil, and sea.

In July 2012, the Japanese government gave TEPCO a lot of money (¥1 trillion, or about US$12 billion). This was to help keep the company from going out of business. It also made sure that Tokyo and nearby cities still got electricity. The money also helped to clean up and shut down the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Later, a special government group became the main owner of TEPCO. This group helps manage the costs and cleanup of the power plant. The total cost of the accident was estimated to be around $100 billion in May 2012.

How TEPCO Started and Grew

TEPCO logo, used from 1987 to March 2016

Japan's electricity companies were made private in 1951. This created nine private companies, each serving a different area. TEPCO was one of these companies. It was formed by combining two older electricity companies.

In the 1950s, TEPCO's main goal was to help Japan recover quickly after World War II. After the recovery, the company needed to make more electricity to keep up with Japan's fast economic growth. They did this by building power plants that used fossil fuels and by making their power lines more efficient.

In the 1960s and 1970s, TEPCO faced challenges like more pollution and oil shortages. TEPCO started to deal with environmental concerns by using more natural gas power plants and relying more on nuclear power. The first nuclear unit at the Fukushima Dai-ichi (Fukushima I) nuclear power plant started working on March 26, 1971.

During the 1980s and 1990s, many people started using air conditioners and computers. This caused a big difference in how much electricity was needed during the day compared to the night. To help with this, TEPCO built special hydroelectric power plants that could store energy. They also encouraged people to use thermal storage units in their homes.

More recently, TEPCO is expected to help Japan reach its goals for reducing carbon dioxide. These goals are part of the Kyoto Protocol. TEPCO also faces challenges as Japan's electricity industry becomes less regulated. To deal with this, TEPCO started a campaign called 'Switch!'. This campaign promoted homes that use only electricity, which helps TEPCO use its power plants more efficiently.

Main Parts of TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. is a holding company. This means it owns several other big companies that do different jobs:

• TEPCO Power Grid – This company manages the electrical grid (power lines) around the Kantō region. It sends and distributes electricity between companies that make it and companies that sell it.
• TEPCO Energy Partner – This company sells electricity to homes and businesses. It operates under the "TEPCO" brand all over Japan, except for Okinawa.
• TEPCO Fuel & Power – This company runs power stations that use fossil fuels. It mainly makes electricity for TEPCO Energy Partner.
• Tokyo Electric Generation Company – This company makes electricity in large amounts to sell to the general electricity market.
• Tokyo Electric Power Services Co. Ltd (TEPSCO) – This company offers advice and help to other companies in the electric power industry.

Important Facts About TEPCO

• Total shares: 1,352,876,531
• Number of shareholders: 821,841
• Electricity sold (2004): 286,741 million kWh (total)
• Highest demand for power: 64.3 million kW (July 24, 2001)
• Number of customers (as of March 31, 2005): 27,740,000
• Money from electricity sales: ¥4,637.2 billion yen (2004)

Helping People After the Disaster

TEPCO had to pay a lot of money to help communities near its Fukushima nuclear plant after the accident. The Japanese government decided to help manage TEPCO so it could make these payments. The government set aside money that TEPCO could use if it needed more funds to pay people affected by radiation from the Fukushima I plant.

Changes at TEPCO

Workers at TEPCO agreed to have their pay cut. This was a way to show responsibility for the major nuclear accident. The pay for board members was cut by 50 percent, managers by 25 percent, and other workers by 20 percent. The company expected to save about 54 billion yen (about $659 million) each year from these pay cuts.

In July 2012, it was announced that managers' yearly salaries would be cut by at least 30%. Other workers' pay cuts stayed at 20%. On average, employees' pay was cut by 23.68%. Also, the amount the company paid for employee health insurance was lowered from 60% to 50%, which is the usual amount in Japan.

Where TEPCO Gets Its Power

TEPCO uses different ways to make electricity:

• Hydroelectric power (from water): 160 plants, making 8,521.0 MW
• Thermal power (from oil, coal, natural gas, geothermal): 26 plants, making 36,995.0 MW
• Nuclear power: 3 plants, making 17,308.0 MW
• Wind power: 1 plant, making 1.0 MW
• Total: 190 plants, making 62,825.0 MW

TEPCO's Place in the Energy World

TEPCO is the biggest electric company in Japan. It is also one of the largest electric companies in the world. Because TEPCO is so big, it has a strong effect on Japan's economy, environment, and energy industry.

Making Electricity

TEPCO's power generation uses two main systems. Power plants that use fossil fuels are located around Tokyo Bay. They are used to provide electricity when demand is highest. Nuclear reactors in Fukushima and Niigata Prefecture provide a steady supply of electricity all the time.

Also, hydroelectric plants in the mountains outside the Kantō Plain are important. Even though they are smaller than fossil fuel and nuclear plants, they help provide extra power when needed. TEPCO also buys electricity from other power companies in Japan.

Sending Electricity to Your Home

TEPCO has built a network of power lines that spread out and form circles between power plants and cities. Each main power line sends electricity at very high voltages (66-500kV) between power plants and special stations called substations. In the Tokyo area, these high-voltage lines are often underground.

From the substations, electricity travels through smaller lines at lower voltages (22-66kV). For large buildings and factories, these lines connect directly to their electricity systems. For homes and small shops, the lines first connect to TEPCO's transformers (often seen on utility poles). These transformers change the electricity to 100/200V, which is what homes use.

Normally, TEPCO's power line system is one of the most reliable in the world. Power outages (blackouts) happen very rarely, and when they do, power is usually restored quickly. However, after the March 2011 earthquake, TEPCO had to do rolling blackouts for the first time. This happened because the Fukushima I and II plants had to shut down. For example, on March 15, 2011, 700,000 homes had no power for three hours.

TEPCO's Locations

TEPCO's Power Plants

Nuclear Power Plants

In March 2008, TEPCO announced that new nuclear reactors would start working a year later. This was because they needed to check them for earthquake safety. However, after the nuclear accident in 2011, these plans were cancelled.

Fossil Fuel Power Plants

Hydroelectric Power Plants

TEPCO has 160 hydroelectric stations. These plants use the power of water to make electricity. Their total capacity is 8,520 MW. The largest ones that store water are:

• Nagawado Dam (623 MW)
• Shin-Takasegawa Pumped Storage Station (1,280 MW)
• Tamahara Pumped Storage Power Station (1,200 MW)
• Shiobara Pumped Storage Plant (900 MW)
• Imaichi Pumped Storage Plant (1,050 MW)
• Kazunogawa Pumped Storage Power Station (800 MW)
• Kannagawa Hydropower Plant (2,820 MW)

Electric Cars and Charging

TEPCO is helping to create new standards for car batteries and fast charging for electric vehicles. They helped develop a special connector for fast charging called CHΛdeMO. TEPCO formed an group with Japanese car makers like Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Subaru to promote this charging method.

Who Owns TEPCO?

On April 11, 2012, the city of Tokyo temporarily became the largest owner of TEPCO. They had 9.37 percent of the voting rights. This happened after other large owners sold their shares. At a meeting in June 2012, Tokyo hoped to stop TEPCO from raising electricity prices. However, the ownership changed again later.

TEPCO Stops Nuclear Promotion Abroad

In early June 2012, TEPCO announced that it would stop helping with nuclear power projects in other countries. This was because the company needed to focus on making the damaged reactors in Fukushima safe. They cancelled their part in a project to build and run two nuclear reactors in Vietnam. TEPCO's director, Naomi Hirose, said that their nuclear engineers needed to do much more to make the Fukushima Daiichi plant safe and shut it down. He said it was "impossible" to leave this work and promote projects abroad.

See also

In Spanish: Tokyo Electric Power Company para niños

• Denko-chan (でんこちゃん), a former mascot character
• Masataka Shimizu, TEPCO president during the March 11th 2011 disaster
• CHAdeMO, electric vehicle charging standard
• EcoCute
• Nuclear power in Japan
• International Nuclear Energy Development of Japan Co., Ltd (JINED)
• Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ)
• Radiation effects from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
• Subaru R1e
• Masao Yoshida (nuclear engineer)
• Shunichi Yamashita, a doctor who studies radiation sickness
• Fukushima 50, the name for workers who stayed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster site