Japan electricity prices in the wholesale markets extends losses in the short week ended September 25 due to two national holidays of Sep 21 and 22, in comfortable temperatures leading to lower demand, keeping unusual price formation of low east and high west. Based on the Rim Power Index (Day ahead 24 hours), weekday power prices in the eastern market, including Hokkaido, Tohoku and Tokyo area, averaged out at 4.60 yen per kilowatt hour (kWh), down 1.46 yen/kWh or 24.1 % from the previous week, meanwhile prices in the western, made up of the Chubu, Hokuriku, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu area, at 6.06 yen/kWh, down 0.42 yen/kWh or 6.5%.

The mercury-in-glass thermometer came down especially in east Japan, reducing the power usage for air conditioners, meanwhile temperatures stayed at relatively high levels and water clouds often covers western six areas, braking price falls in west Japan, where solar power stations are said to be more popular than east. In east Japan, Tokyo's daily high temperatures were projected on a day ahead basis at 23 Celsius degrees for Sep 23, 21C for Sep 24 and 24C for Sep 25, Sendai's 23C, 18C and 19C, Sapporo's 22C, 22C and 20C, whereas, in west, Osaka's 24C, 28C and 25C, Nagoya's 24C, 28C and 26C, Fukuoka's 25C, 25C and 25C.

The premium of Hokkaido to Tokyo recorded minus 0.05 yen/kWh compared with plus 0.74 yen/kWh observed in the previous week, with Hokkaido's 24 hours average 4.57 yen/kWh (previous week's ave:6.75 yen) and Tokyo's 4.62 yen/kWh (6.01 yen), which are reckoned in conformity to data compiled by the Japan Electric Power Exchange (JEPX). Hokkaido prices often drift at higher levels than other areas especially in the winter season. Hokkaido's daytime average prices showed a larger fall than Tokyo owing to weather conditions that the sun shined in some moments in Sapporo, Hokkaido's biggest city.

Kansai's weekly average eased to 6.14 yen/kWh from 6.54 yen/kWh, and Kyushu's skidded to 5.71 yen/kWh from 6.23 yen/kWh. The difference of the two areas grew a shred to 0.43 yen/kWh from 0.31 yen/kWh recorded in the prior week. Kansai area is the biggest market in the western Japan, and Kyushu's prices are incline to move at less expensive levels alongside of other areas. Unlike Tokyo and Hokkaido, Kansai and Kyushu's average prices for daytime showed a smaller drop than nighttime.

On JEPX, the weekday average of System Price (Day ahead 24 hours), which were figured based on the data of 9 areas, slid by 1.05 yen/kWh or 17.9% to 4.82 yen/kWh, with the average volume decreasing by 45, 987 megawatts per hour (MWh) or 4.9% to 883,519 compared to the prior week's.

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