Electricity generated by Japan 's 10 regional power utilities fell 7.1% on year in March to 76.07 billion kilowatt-hours, as the nation kept conservation efforts amid continued closure of most nuclear power plants, the Federation of Electric Power Companies said Friday.

The utilities kept running their thermal power plants at high rates, used slightly more liquefied natural gas in the last fiscal year ended on March 31 than the previous year, said the federation.