Chubu Electric Power admits to falsifying Hamaoka plant decommissioning costs

Chubu Electric Power has admitted to improper procedures regarding cost reimbursements for decommissioning work at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant's units 1 and 2. The company allegedly falsified reports to the Nuclear Reprocessing and Decommissioning Facilitation Organization (NuRO) to make construction progress appear more advanced than it actually was.

Internal investigations suggest that for at least 14 construction projects conducted in fiscal year 2024, the company altered figures—such as the weight of dismantled equipment—in copies of reports provided by contractors. Some employees reportedly stated they wanted to make the results appear “in line with the plan.”

This incident follows previous controversies at the Hamaoka plant, including allegations that Chubu Electric manipulated seismic data to understate earthquake risks during the restart screening process for units 3 and 4. An external committee of lawyers is currently investigating the decommissioning billing discrepancies, while the Nuclear Regulation Authority continues its oversight.