Chubu Electric says Hamaoka nuclear plant decommissioning documents were altered before submission

Chubu Electric Power

27/08/2026 06:08

TOKYO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Chubu Electric Power 9502.T said on Thursday documents for fiscal 2024 decommissioning work at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant were improperly altered prior to submission to Japan's nuclear decommissioning fund manager.
The utility said it had identified 14 cases in which data in documents submitted to the Nuclear Reprocessing and Decommissioning facilitation Organization (NuRO), including details on dismantling equipment and quantities, did not match work carried out in fiscal 2024.
Chubu Electric said it was investigating details including motive for the alterations, how many people were involved, and whether the altered information resulted in inflated reimbursement claims.
Under Japan's decommissioning funding system, nuclear operators set aside decommissioning funds with NuRO, which reimburses costs as work progresses based on payment claims.
The alterations relates to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Hamaoka plant in Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan, which are currently being dismantled.
The company received about 800 million yen ($5 million) in reimbursements related to the 14 cases.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has asked Chubu Electric to submit a report by September 25 detailing the incident's facts and background plus prevention measures.
The issue follows a separate incident involving the No. 3 and No. 4 units at the Hamaoka plant in which seismic data was falsified, prompting the Nuclear Regulation Authority to suspend its safety review for the reactors' restart. The NRA and an independent committee are continuing to investigate that matter.

($1 = 159.3100 yen)

 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4520-1265;))