Chubu Electric Power 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, sources said 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 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. Electric power companies that operate nuclear plants make contributions to the organization for decommissioning and submit implementation plans.
After the work is completed, operators request reimbursement for costs. The Hamaoka No. 1 and No. 2 reactors were shut down in January 2009. Chubu Electric previously came under fire for improperly selecting data on potential earthquakes during its screening process for restarting the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the plant.
An investigation committee composed of outside lawyers is looking into the matter, and Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority is also conducting an inspection.
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