Japan could face rolling backouts and forced usage cuts this summer if temperatures are above-average, as the nation is set to shut its last operating nuclear plant next month, Economy Minister Yukio Edano said in an interview with the Nikkei newspaper, published Thursday. Edano said the government would announce its power supply-demand forecasts in early May and could begin seeking conservation efforts that month. In the short term, Edano said, “the government will tap nuclear reactors if necessary while placing a maximum emphasis on safety,” but over the coming decades, Japan “should move away from its reliance on nuclear power as quickly as possible.”

Last summer — the first following Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster — Japan forced large electricity consumers to cut usage by 15% and sought voluntary conservation from the public.

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