Monthly Report

Wada Hydro Power Plant temporarily suspends operation amid forged FIT certification document incident

August 6, 2024
Wada Hydro Power Station
Chubu EPCO discovered a document has been forged when preparing documentation for upcoming repair works. (Image: Chubu EPCO)

Chubu Electric Power Company temporarily suspended the operation of Wada Hydroelectric Power Station as it learned about its employee having falsified a document during the power plant’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) certification, the company announced on August 2, 2024.

According to Chubu EPCO’s statement, when working on documentation related to the power plant’s upcoming repair work last month, it was found that the original of a land lease agreement with Toshin Forest Management Office was not stored in the company’s archives. Upon confirming with the employee responsible for the document, it was found that the document submitted for the purposes of FIT certification was forged.

Upon learning about the incident, Chubu EPCO informed the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), which is part of the ministry.

ANRE ordered Chubu EPCO to inform it by August 30, 2024, if the company submitted any other falsified documents or provided false information when applying for FIT. If so, the company must also explain the causes of these incidents and how it will prevent similar cases in the future.

The 1.9MW Wada Hydroelectric Power Station situated on the Yoda River in Nagano Prefecture was commissioned in October 1918. The generated power started to be sold under the FIT scheme on February 10, 2023.

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