UPDATE 2-Japan Oct nuclear plant usage lowest since 2003

(Updates with table)

TOKYO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Japan's nuclear power plant
utilisation rate fell to an average 56.3 percent in October, the
lowest since July 2003, industry data showed on Wednesday.

The run rate at the 10 nuclear power companies has stayed
relatively low since Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T), Japan's
top utility, shut down its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant
following a powerful earthquake on July 16.

The nuclear operation rate for October was down from an
11-month low of 61.7 percent in September, the Federation of
Electric Power Companies of Japan said.

Power demand in October rose to a record high for the month
as higher than usual temperatures increased usage of air
conditioners, while industrial activity was robust, the
federation said.

Japan's 10 nuclear power providers generated 78.22 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity in October -- a record high for the
month -- up 2.6 percent from the same month a year earlier, the
data showed.

Electricity generation in September totalled 86.27 billion
kilowatt-hours, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier, the
preliminary data showed last month.

Nine Japanese utilities and non-utility electricity
wholesaler Japan Atomic Power Co. have 55 nuclear power
generators for commercial use, with a total generating capacity
of 49,470 megawatts, the world's third-largest output.

Japan derived 31 percent of its electricity from nuclear
power plants in the year ended in March 2006.

Electricity demand typically peaks in late July and early
August at the height of the Japanese summer.

Following is a table of consumption of energy at TEPCO and
the industry's total for October. Volumes of crude, fuel oil and
naphtha are in kilolitres; LNG and coal are in tonnes.
Year-on-year percentage changes are in parentheses.

TEPCO INDUSTRY TOTAL
Coal : 332,606 (-4.2) 4,260,126 (-1.1)
Fuel oil : 545,567 (+290.2) 882,837 (+65.6)
Crude oil: 211,756 (+145.2) 721,908 (+48.1)
LNG : 1,661,888 (+17.6) 3,428,264 (+5.5)
(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Additional reporting by Chikafumi
Hodo; Editing by Hugh Lawson)