Chubu Electric to pull Hamaoka reactor restart applications amid data scandal

Chubu Electric Power Co. intends to withdraw its applications for regulatory screening to restart the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear plant, a source familiar with the matter disclosed. The decision follows a committee’s finding that the utility deliberately modified seismic data to satisfy restart criteria. Chairman Satoru Katsuno has reportedly decided to step down over the affair, while President Kingo Hayashi will hold a press conference in Nagoya to explain the report and the company’s response.

The restart applications, filed between 2014 and 2015, have been under review for more than a decade. This withdrawal comes after earlier scandals at Chubu Electric, including falsified documents related to decommissioning costs for reactors 1 and 2 and accusations of overcharging electricity customers. The utility apologized, acknowledging the damage to public trust.