Hokuriku Electric Power began construction of the 2MW Hanatate Power Station in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, on May 18, 2026, the company announced on the same day.
According to the statement, the hydropower plant is scheduled to be commissioned in May 2030 and generate about 11.3GWh annually. Once operational, the utility plans to supply its output to JR West’s Hokuriku Shinkansen operations in the Hokuriku TSO area under an off-site PPA.
JR West expects Hanatate’s output to cover approximately 5% of the Shinkansen’s consumption between Itoigawa and Tsuruga stations. Combined with the train operator’s previous deals with Hokuriku Electric Power for 48MW of solar projects, PPAs are expected to account for about 26% of the section’s traction power demand by FY2030.
Hanatate Power Station will join the utility’s existing fleet of over 130 hydropower plants with a combined output of about 1.94GW. It will follow the 584kW Tsurugi Furumachi Power Station commissioned in May 2025 and several refurbishments of aging assets, such as the 9.57MW Jinzugawa No. 3 Power Station and 10.8MW Nakasaki Power Station.
The utility targets adding 1GW of renewables compared with FY2018 levels to its portfolio by the early 2030s.
