Hydroelectricity in Japan


is Japan's main renewable energy source, with an installed capacity of about 50 GW and a production of 69.2 TWh of electricity in 2009, making Japan one of the biggest hydroelectricity producers in the world.
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 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.

List of hydroelectric power stations

StationCapacity PrefectureCoordinatesStatusType
Akiba Dam127.1ShizuokaOperationalpumped storage
Amagase Dam92KyotoOperationalconventional
Arimine Dam534ToyamaOperationalconventional
Dashidaira Dam124 Operational-
Funagira Dam32ShizuokaOperational-
Hatanagi-I Hydroelectric Dam137ShizuokaOperationalpumped storage
Hatanagi-II Hydroelectric Dam85ShizuokaOperationalpumped storage
Hiraoka Dam101NaganoOperational-
Honkawa600pumped storage
Ikawa Dam62ShizuokaOperational-
Ikehara Pumped Storage Plant350 Operationalpumped storage
Imaichi Pumped Storage Plant1,050TochigiOperationalpumped storage
Kadonogawa Power Station800 Operationalpumped storage
Kannagawa Hydropower Plant 2,820NaganoOperationalpumped storage
Kazunogawa Pumped Storage Plant1,200YamanashiOperationalpumped storage
Kinugawa-Kurobe Dam127 Operational-
Kisenyama Pumped Storage Plant466KyotoOperationalpumped storage
Konoyama Dam126NiigataOperational-
Kurobe Dam335ToyamaOperational-
Kuroda Dam315AichiOperational-
Maruyama Dam185GifuOperational-
Matsubara Dam50.6Oita-
Masegawa Dam288 Operational-
Matanoagawa Pumped Storage Plant1,200TottoriOperationalpumped storage
Miboro Dam215GifuOperational-
Midono Pumped Storage Plant122 Operationalpumped storage
Miho Dam7.4KanagawaOperational-
Misakubo Dam50ShizuokaOperational-
Miyagase Dam24KanagawaOperational-
Miyanaka Dam449NiigataOperational-
Nagano Pumped Storage Plant220 Operationalpumped storage
Niikappu Pumped Storage Plant200 Operationalpumped storage
Nishiotaki Dam234NaganoOperational-
Numappara Pumped Storage Plant675 Operationalpumped storage
Ohashi Dam615KōchiOperationalpumped storage
Ōigawa Dam68.2ShizuokaOperational-
Okawachi Pumped Storage Power Station1,280HyōgoOperationalpumped storage
Okukiyotsu Pumped Storage Power Station 1,600NiigataOperationalpumped storage
Okinawa Yanbaru Seawater Pumped Storage Power Station30OkinawaOperationalpumped storage
Okutadami Dam560Niigata/FukushimaOperationalconventional
Okutataragi Pumped Storage Plant1,932HyōgoOperationalpumped storage
Okuyoshino Pumped Storage Plant1,206NaraOperationalpumped storage
Otori Dam182FukushimaOperational-
Sagami Dam31Kanagawa;Operational-
Sakuma Dam350AichiOperationalconventional
Sasamagawa Dam58ShizuokaOperational-
Senzu Dam22.2ShizuokaOperational-
Shimogo Pumped Storage Power Station1,000FukushimaOperationalpumped storage
Shin-Takasegawa Pumped Storage Plant1,280NaganoOperationalpumped storage
Shinanogawa Pumped Storage Plant234 Operationalpumped storage
Shintoyone Pumped Storage Plant1,125AichiOperationalpumped storage
Shiobara Pumped Storage Plant900TochigiOperationalpumped storage
Shiogō Dam58ShizuokaOperational-
Shiroyama Dam275KanagawaOperational-
Tagokura Dam390FukushimaOperational-
Takami Pumped Storage Plant200 Operationalpumped storage
Taki Dam92FukushimaOperational-
Tamahara Pumped Storage Power Station1,200GunmaOperationalpumped storage
Tashiro Dam40.1ShizuokaOperational-
Tedorigawa I Dam250 Operational-
Tokuyama Dam153GifuOperational-
Okuyahagi Pumped Storage Power Station1,160GifuOperationalpumped storage
Yagisawa Pumped Storage Plant240 Operationalpumped storage
Yomihaki Power Station112 Operational-