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Opposition to electricity price hikes grow at Japanese mini-mills

February 10, 2012 - 05:04 GMT Location: Tokyo

KEYWORDS: Japanese steel , Tokyo Electric Power , Japanese mini-mills , Japan , electricity

Japan’s scrap-based steel producers have called for the country’s main electricity supplier to reverse a price increase, which they say could force them to reduce output.

Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) wants to raise power prices by an average of 17% from April, and also lift its night-time rates by 40%. The rate hikes are an after-effect of the earthquake that hit Japan early last year, knocking out the Dai-ichi nuclear plant, and slashing Tepco’s power capacity. This will be a “strong blow” to mini-mill operators, according to Katsutoshi Kurikawa, head of...

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