Chubu Electric in Tough Spot after N-Plant Data Fraud

Tokyo, Sept. 14 (Jiji Press)–Chubu Electric Power Co. faces a difficult predicament as its earthquake-risk data fraud has left the power utility with no clear outlook for restarting its Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Japan. An investigative committee report released Monday highlighted the seriousness of the misconduct, in which Chubu Electric provided to the Nuclear Regulation Authority cherry-picked quake-vibration data for a screening using a method different from the one it had reported to the nuclear watchdog. In light of the scandal, the company announced that it would withdraw its application for a screening to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture. According to the NRA’s Secretariat, it was the first time for a screening application to be pulled due to fraud on the part of the nuclear plant operator. “The content of Chubu Electric’s application can’t be trusted,” an official of the secretariat said. “We don’t know how long it will take before we can trust them.” More than a decade has passed since the power utility submitted its application to the NRA. If the company chooses to refile, the screening process would start from scratch. Last year, the green transformation decarbonized power sources law took full effect, allowing nuclear reactors to operate for 60 years plus the amount of time they are offline due to NRA screenings. The government aimed to promote the long-term use of aging nuclear reactors through the measure. Still, under the law, periods during which reactors were suspended for reasons for which the operator was responsible cannot be added to their life spans, making it difficult for the Hamaoka No. 3 and No. 4 reactors to operate for more than 60 years. Thirty-nine years have passed since the No. 3 reactor began operations, while the No. 4 reactor marked its 33rd anniversary of coming online this month. Chubu Electric faces the difficult decision of whether to seek to restart the reactors, as a fresh screening will take more time and an overhaul of safety measures is certain to increase costs. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]