portion

[ostap77]

Would it be correct to say that electricity supply has been portioned to people in some areas of Tokyo?

[Allen165]

Would it be correct to say that electricity supply has been portioned to people in some areas of Tokyo?

NOT A TEACHER.

Not sure I understand the intended meaning.

"Electricity has been made available to people in some areas of Tokyo."

"People in some areas of Tokyo have been supplied with electricity."

[ostap77]

NOT A TEACHER.

Not sure I understand the intended meaning.

"Electricity has been made available to people in some areas of Tokyo."

"People in some areas of Tokyo have been supplied with electricity."

There has been the disruption of electricity supply due to the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear facility. It's been on and off in some areas of Tokyo. Could I say that it's been portioned to people?

[Allen165]

There has been the disruption of electricity supply due to the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear facility. It's been on and off in some areas of Tokyo. Could I say that it's been portioned to people?

It doesn't sound right to me, but I honestly don't know.

[ostap77]

It doesn't sound right to me, but I honestly don't know.

Would you suggest a verb to describe it? I was watching the coverage form Japan when I started thinking what word would be appropriate to describe it?

[Allen165]

Would you suggest a verb to describe it? I was watching the coverage form Japan when I started thinking what word would be appropriate to describe it?

What's wrong with the examples in my first post?

[ostap77]

What's wrong with the examples in my first post?

There's nothing wrong. I'm thinking if there's a more precise verb to describe when electricity is supplied to one area than it's off for some time and its supply is redirected to another area?

[The Dude]

The verb connected to 'portion' is 'apportion'. But this means to regulate how much of something you put here, how much you put there. It doesn't describe a supply that is simply intermittent, or random.

So when I do my business accounts at the end of the year, I have to apportion some business expenses if there has been any private use. For example, if I use the business car for some social driving, then I might apportion the expense of that car 80/20 percent business/private.

Another possible verb here is 'ration', but that also implies regulation of the supply. We ration a supply to people if we have very little of it, giving it out in small doses. This might suit your purpose here.

If you simply want to say that the electricity is going on and off all the time, try 'fluctuate' as a verb, or 'fluctuating', 'unreliable' or 'haphazard' as adjectives. Also there are two more in my first paragraph!

[The Dude]

There's nothing wrong. I'm thinking if there's a more precise verb to describe when electricity is supplied to one area than it's off for some time and its supply is redirected to another area?

In that case, electricity is being rationed in some areas of Tokyo.

[SoothingDave]

Rolling blackout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If done intentionally it is called a "rolling blackout." There is not enough electricity for everyone to have 24 hours/day service, so the utility lights up certain sectors at a time, with blackouts in others. This way everyone has some electricity part of the day.

The article states that Japan started doing this on March 14, due to a loss of capacity from the offline plants.