Chubu Electric Power started construction of the 730kW Uchigatani Hydropower Plant in Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture, on May 7, 2025.
According to a statement released on the same day, the asset will generate power from maintenance water discharged by the Uchigatani Dam, currently under construction by the prefecture. The power plant is scheduled to begin commercial operation in FY2027 when the dam is expected to be completed. Once operational, Chubu EPCO expects it will generate about 4.5GWh annually.
Uchigatani Hydropower Plant was certified under the feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme in FY2021, securing a 20-year, 29 yen per kWh-contract. It is unclear whether it will operate under FIT or be converted to the feed-in-premium (FIP) scheme with its output sold through a PPA, following the company’s approach with its recently commissioned Abegawa Hydropower Plant.
Chubu EPCO had about 200 hydropower plants totaling over 5GW as of the end of FY2023. The Uchigatani plant is part of the company’s efforts to expand its renewable portfolio by at least 3.2GW compared to FY2017 end baseline by around 2030.
