Hydroelectricity in Japan

Hydroelectricity is the second most important renewable energy source after solar energy in Japan with an installed capacity of 50.0 gigawatt (GW) as of 2019. According to the International Hydropower Association Japan was the world's sixth largest producer of hydroelectricity in 2020. Most of Japanese hydroelectric power plants are pumped-storage plants. Conventional hydropower plants account for about 20 GW out of the total installed capacity as of 2007.

Conventional hydropower potential of Japan is considered to be almost fully developed, with little opportunity for further capacity increase. In recent years, almost exclusively pumped storage plants were commissioned, significantly increasing the ratio of pumped storage capacity over conventional hydro. The large capacity of pumped storage hydropower was built to store energy from nuclear power plants, which until the Fukushima disaster constituted a large part of Japan electricity generation. As of 2015, Japan is the country with the highest capacity of pumped-storage hydroelectricity in the world, with 26 GW of power installed. After the 2011 nuclear power shutdowns, pumped-storage plants have been increasingly used to balance the variable generation of renewable energy sources such as solar, which have been growing rapidly in recent years.

As of September 2011, Japan had 1,198 small hydropower plants with a total capacity of 3,225 megawatt (MW). The smaller plants accounted for 6.6% of Japan's total hydropower capacity. The remaining capacity was filled by large and medium hydropower stations, typically sited at large dams. Cost per kilowatt-hour for power from smaller plants was high at ¥15-100, hindering further development of the energy source.Johnston, Eric, "Small hydropower plants keep it local", Japan Times, 29 September 2011, p. 3.

List of hydroelectric power stations

Station Capacity (MW) Prefecture Coordinates Status Type Akiba Dam 127.1 Shizuoka Operational pumped storage Amagase Dam 92 Kyoto Operational conventional Arimine Dam 534 Toyama Operational conventional Dashidaira Dam 124 Operational Funagira Dam 32 Shizuoka Operational Hatanagi-I Hydroelectric Dam 137 Shizuoka Operational pumped storage Hatanagi-II Hydroelectric Dam 85 Shizuoka Operational pumped storage Hiraoka Dam 101 Nagano Operational Honkawa 600 pumped storage Ikawa Dam 62 Shizuoka Operational Ikehara Pumped Storage Plant 350 Operational pumped storage Imaichi Pumped Storage Plant 1,050 Tochigi Operational pumped storage Kadonogawa Power Station 800 Operational pumped storage Kannagawa Hydropower Plant 2,820 Nagano Operational pumped storage Kazunogawa Pumped Storage Plant 1,200 Yamanashi Operational pumped storage Kinugawa-Kurobe Dam 127 Operational Kisenyama Pumped Storage Plant 466 Kyoto Operational pumped storage Konoyama Dam 126 Niigata Operational Kurobe Dam 335 Toyama Operational Kuroda Dam 315 Aichi Operational Maruyama Dam 185 Gifu Operational Matsubara Dam 50.6 Oita Masegawa Dam 288 Operational Matanoagawa Pumped Storage Plant 1,200 Tottori Operational pumped storage Miboro Dam 215 Gifu Operational Midono Pumped Storage Plant 122 Operational pumped storage Miho Dam 7.4 Kanagawa Operational Misakubo Dam 50 Shizuoka Operational Miyagase Dam 24 Kanagawa Operational Miyanaka Dam 449 Niigata Operational Nagano Pumped Storage Plant 220 Operational pumped storage Niikappu Pumped Storage Plant 200 Operational pumped storage Nishiotaki Dam 234 Nagano Operational Numappara Pumped Storage Plant 675 Operational pumped storage Ohashi Dam 615 Kōchi Operational pumped storage Ōigawa Dam 68.2 Shizuoka Operational Okawachi Pumped Storage Power StationMajor Power Plants in Japan 1,280 Hyōgo Operational pumped storage Okukiyotsu Pumped Storage Power Station (1 & 2) 1,600 Niigata Operational pumped storage Okinawa Yanbaru Seawater Pumped Storage Power StationYanbaru 30 Okinawa Operational pumped storage Okutadami Dam 560 Niigata/Fukushima Operational conventional Okutataragi Pumped Storage Plant 1,932 Hyōgo Operational pumped storage Okuyoshino Pumped Storage Plant 1,206 Nara Operational pumped storage Otori Dam 182 Fukushima Operational Sagami Dam 31 Kanagawa; Operational Sakuma Dam 350 Aichi Operational conventional Sasamagawa Dam 58 Shizuoka Operational Senzu Dam 22.2 Shizuoka Operational Shimogo Pumped Storage Power Station 1,000 Fukushima Operational pumped storage Shin-Takasegawa Pumped Storage Plant 1,280 Nagano Operational pumped storage Shinanogawa Pumped Storage Plant 234 Operational pumped storage Shintoyone Pumped Storage Plant 1,125 Aichi Operational pumped storage Shiobara Pumped Storage Plant 900 Tochigi Operational pumped storage Shiogō Dam 58 Shizuoka Operational Shiroyama Dam 275 Kanagawa Operational Tagokura Dam 390 Fukushima Operational Takami Pumped Storage Plant 200 Operational pumped storage Taki Dam 92 Fukushima Operational Tamahara Pumped Storage Power Station 1,200 Gunma Operational pumped storage Tashiro Dam 40.1 Shizuoka Operational Tedorigawa I Dam 250 Operational Tokuyama Dam 153 Gifu Operational Okuyahagi Pumped Storage Power Station 1,160 Gifu Operational pumped storage Yagisawa Pumped Storage Plant 240 Operational pumped storage Yomihaki Power Station 112 Operational

Hydroelectricity in Japan

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