Scandal-hit Hamaoka nuclear power plant operator execs to resign: sources

Chubu Electric Power Co President Kingo Hayashi intends to resign over the utility’s seismic data manipulation scandal during the screening for restarting reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan, sources close to the matter said Sunday.

Chairman Satoru Katsuno is expected to follow suit, having already told people close to him that he plans to step down for the scandal, according to the sources.

The move comes as the company plans to withdraw its applications for safety screening to restart the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at the Hamaoka plant despite devoting more than 10 years to the process, in a rare move for a utility in resource-poor Japan.

Two days ago, the utility said it had received a report from a committee investigating the data rigging. Hayashi is slated to hold a press conference in Nagoya on Monday to explain the report’s contents and the company’s response.

Earlier this year, Chubu Electric admitted that favorable seismic ground-motion data had been cherry-picked when setting earthquake-resistant standards for the two reactors the utility was seeking to restart.

The utility has also been hit by additional scandals, such as document falsification disclosed in August involving cost claims related to decommissioning work at the Hamaoka plant’s Nos. 1 and 2 reactors, as well as overcharging customers for electricity.