The price of oil fell Friday as the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan’s history killed hundreds of people, MarketWatch reported.

The earthquake, which triggered a 10-meter-high tsunami and forced evacuations on the West Coast, diverted attention from the political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa that poses a threat to oil production in those regions.

Crude-oil futures held just above $100 a barrel.

“There will be an impact on power consumption,” said analysts with JPMorgan Chase & Co., in a note to clients. “Oil could see increased demand for power use, and outages have been reported at several refineries.”

Japan also shut down operations at nuclear-power plants, MarketWatch reported.

The oil market had braced for a so-called “Day of Rage” in Saudi Arabia on Friday, but large protests or clashes failed to take place.