10 Japan Power Firms Punished for Illegal Water Intake, Other Law Violations

 

May 16 - Jiji Press English News Service

The Japanese government on Wednesday punished Tokyo Electric Power Co. and nine other electricity firms in Japan for covering up illicit practices including secret intake of massive amounts of water for power generation.

The nine firms are Hokkaido Electric Power Co. , Tohoku Electric Power Co. , Chubu Electric Power Co. , Hokuriku Electric Power Co. , Kansai Electric Power Co. , Chugoku Electric Power Co. , Shikoku Electric Power Co. , Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Electric Power Development Co. .

Among the 10 companies, Tokyo Electric Power has falsified data for 13 years since 1993 on water intake amounts to cover up its illegal use of a total of 100 million tons of river water at a hydraulic power plant in Shiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, officials at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.

The serious violation of the river law led the ministry to cancel the Shiobara plant's water right, they said. This was the first- ever cancellation of a utility firm's water right. Tokyo Electric Power has to reapply for the right if it wants to resume power generation at the plant.

Other law violations include Kansai Electric Power's excessive water intake at its two power plants in Nara and Shiga Prefectures, and Tokyo Electric Power's unauthorized renovation work at a plant in Yamanashi Prefecture.

The ministry reduced the allowable water intake amounts for the two Kansai Electric Power plants and is planning to order Tokyo Electric Power redo the work.

All the 10 companies will be ordered to clarify their responsibilities for the use of water and take measures to prevent recurrences of river law violations within a month, the officials said.

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