Chubu Electric Faces Scrutiny over N-Reactor Decommissioning

Tokyo, Aug. 26 (Jiji Press)--Chubu Electric Power Co. is suspected of having improperly billed for costs related to decommissioning work on the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, it was learned Wednesday.

The costs were billed to the Nuclear Reprocessing and Decommissioning Facilitation Organization, which oversees nuclear plant decommissioning.

Chubu Electric is believed to be conducting an internal investigation and is expected to announce its findings soon.

The company allegedly misrepresented the progress of construction work at the reactors in the central Japan prefecture when applying to the organization for reimbursement of related costs, sources familiar with the matter said.

The company is suspected of presenting the work as being more advanced than it actually was, raising concerns that the bills were submitted based on improper procedures, the sources said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]