Japan's Board of Audit estimates that efforts to remove radioactive fallout resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP would cost more than $27bn by the end of the current fiscal year. This is the first review since the government projected in December 2013 that decontamination would cost $22bn in total. The board made new calculations based on an account balance and budget for six fiscal years. The new estimate goes to the end of March 2017. The government plans to use revenue from selling effectively state-owned shares of Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to cover the cost. Any shortages will be the responsibility of Japanese utilities which operate nuclear plants. However, the auditors say it is unclear whether Tepco shares could be sold at high prices while decontamination costs rise.
