Kansai Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Kansai Electric Power Co., Ltd., announced on the 1st that the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are harmful to the human body, in some of the transformers installed on utility poles exceeded standard values ​​more than 20 years ago. He announced that he had concealed the fact that he had known since then. The cover-up has been going on since the time of KEPCO’s power transmission and distribution division before it was split into a separate company, and Kansai Transmission and Distribution has recommended that Vice President Kazuaki Takaichi, who had ordered the cover-up, resign, citing compliance issues. Mr. Takaichi resigned on the same day.

The incident was discovered through an internal report to the Compliance Consultation Desk.

PCB contamination was confirmed in transformers around 1989, and electric power companies are taking measures such as decontamination and replacement. KEPCO’s power distribution department, which is responsible for dealing with PCBs, discovered through surveys in 2010 and 2014 that there were cases in which PCBs exceeded standard values ​​even after decontamination, but this was not shared within the company and appropriate measures were not taken for many years. I haven’t been.

Although KEPCO became aware of the exceedance of standard values ​​in the wake of the oil leak accident caused by Typhoon No. 21 in 1930, Mr. Takaichi, who was the head of the power distribution department, instructed them to conceal the fact that they had been aware of the exceedance for some time. He also gave false explanations to the national government and Osaka prefecture.

At a press conference in Osaka, Kansai Transmission and Distribution President Takayuki Shirogane said, “It was a serious violation of compliance that he said that it was better to hide the fact that he was aware of the exceedance of the standard value, and that he did not take appropriate action.” and apologized. Replacement of the transformer with a new one is underway and is expected to be completed by FY2020.