4.4 MW Conduit-type Hydro Station in Uozu, Toyama

Hokuriku Electric Power announced on 7th that it would start construction of a hydro power station of 4.4 MW scale in Uozu city of Toyama prefecture.

The station is a conduit-type plant, and it will have a penstock of 300 meter elevation.

It is rather difficult in Japan to newly construct a dam to make electricity.
So that the company is going to make a short cut in a river in order to take enough elevation.

Hokuriku Electric chose a conduit type after an interval of 26 years.

The annual generation will be 1,740 kWh, which equals to the consumption of 4,800 households a year.

The station will start operation in May 2016.

Hokuriku Electric Power: Press Release (in Japanese) 2013/05/07
http://www.rikuden.co.jp/press/attach/13050701.pdf
SmartJapan: 2013/05/09 07:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1305/09/news023.html