Japan electricity generation hits record for Feb

Japan's 10 utilities generated a
record high amount of electricity for the month of February, as
thermal power offset a decline in nuclear plant utilisation to
the lowest in nearly five years, an industry association said on
Friday.

The utilities generated 88.46 billion kilowatt-hours of
electricity in February, up 13.1 percent from the same month a
year earlier, as Japan faced mostly cooler temperatures than a
year earlier, which boosted heating demand, the Federation of
Electric Power Companies of Japan said.

It marked the seventh straight month in which power
generation topped the previous year's level.

Adjusting the figures to take into account that 2008 is a
leap year, power generation last month was 9.2 percent higher
than a year earlier.

 In January, electricity generation totalled 90.42 billion
kilowatt-hours, up 4.9 percent from a year earlier and a record
high for the month, preliminary data released last month showed.
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(source: Reuters)