Japan Regulator Says It May Start Chubu Electric Nuclear Review From Scratch

Japan’s nuclear regulator said on Wednesday it could restart the screening of Chubu Electric Power’s (9502.T), opens new tab Hamaoka plant from scratch or reject the resumption of operations altogether after revelations the utility had falsified data for the regulatory review.

The Hamaoka plant’s No. 3 and No. 4 units had been undergoing screenings for over a decade under stricter rules since all of Japan’s nuclear power plants were idled following the 2011 Fukushima disasters, and some analysts had expected a possible restart by 2030.

NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka said the regulatory watchdog could decide to take the “most significant step” under its authority, which he said could be the decision to deny approval for the restart of Chubu Electric’s only nuclear power plant. The NRA would discuss options at its meeting next week, he said.

“This is an unprecedented case, so I imagine that it will be a fairly severe response,” Yamanaka told a regularly scheduled press conference, saying Chubu Electric had breached basic international safety standards.

“The reliability of the application itself and the examination so far are now being questioned, so I believe it is necessary to start the whole inspection over.”

The watchdog’s move stalls Chubu’s effort to resume operation of the two reactors on Japan’s Pacific coast, even as nuclear plants restart in other parts of Japan.

Chubu Electric apologised for the incident and said it would respond to the NRA’s instructions “to the best of its ability.”

“We take this case extremely seriously as a grave incident that could undermine the trust of local and other stakeholders in our nuclear business and shake the foundation of our business,” it said.

“This case also raises doubts about our qualifications as operator of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant and we are very sorry to the NRA conducting the review.”