UPDATE 1-Japan's nuclear plant usage rises yr/yr for 9th month

* June nuclear rate up 6.3 pct pts y/y, falls 1.2 pct pts m/m

* Rise comes as TEPCO boosts output at quake-hit unit
(Adds tables, details)

TOKYO, July 1 (Reuters) - Japan's nuclear power plant usage
rose year-on-year in June for a ninth straight month, which could
limit the use of thermal power fuels for electricity production
heading into the peak summer demand period.

The nuclear power plant utilisation rate at Japan's 10
nuclear power companies rose to an average 59.9 percent in June,
up 6.3 percentage points from a year earlier, the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry said on Wednesday.

The June run rate compared with 61.1 percent in May, the METI
data showed.

Along with a decline in power demand, the string of
year-on-year rises in the nuclear utilisation rate has hurt sales
of fuel oil in Japan, the world's third-largest oil consumer.

May sales of B- and C-type fuel oil, used mostly for power
generation and ships, tumbled 35 percent, as electricity demand
slumped 8.6 percent in May from a year earlier as the nation's
recession has eaten into demand and the nuclear rate has risen.
[ID:nT234801]

The rise in nuclear rates comes in part as Tokyo Electric
Power Co (TEPCO) (9501.T) boosted output from the No.7 unit to
full capacity in June at its Kashiwakazi-Kariwa nuclear plant,
which had been shut for nearly two years after it was damaged in
an earthquake.

Earlier this week, TEPCO got the green light from METI to
restart the No.6 reactor at the nuclear plant, the world's
largest, but it still needs approval from several different
authorities before it can began restart tests on the unit.
[ID:nT366919]

Below is a list of nuclear power generators and the nuclear
power plant utilisation rate for June and the three months to
June, according to the data.

Nine Japanese utilities and electricity wholesaler Japan
Atomic Power Co have 53 nuclear power generators for commercial
use, with a total generating capacity of 47,935 megawatts, the
world's third highest.

JUNE

Company Run rate (%)

Hokkaido Electric Power Co (9509.T) 51.3

Tohoku Electric Power Co (9506.T) 43.1

Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T) 44.0

Chubu Electric Power Co (9502.T) 17.8

Hokuriku Electric Power Co (9505.T) 100.5

Kansai Electric Power Co (9503.T) 88.3

Chugoku Electric Power Co (9504.T) 64.5

Shikoku Electric Power Co (9507.T) 46.7

Kyushu Electric Power Co (9508.T) 76.1

Japan Atomic Power Co 88.5

APRIL-JUNE

Company Run rate (%)

Hokkaido Electric Power Co (9509.T) 72.1

Tohoku Electric Power Co (9506.T) 46.9

Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T) 38.8

Chubu Electric Power Co (9502.T) 27.2

Hokuriku Electric Power Co (9505.T) 93.6

Kansai Electric Power Co (9503.T) 86.6

Chugoku Electric Power Co (9504.T) 79.0

Shikoku Electric Power Co (9507.T) 45.9

Kyushu Electric Power Co (9508.T) 82.2

Japan Atomic Power Co 88.8
(Reporting by James Topham; Editing by Chris Gallagher)