Electric Power Development Co. Ltd. (J-POWER) announced that work has begun on modernization of the Suezawa Hydroelectric Power Station in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, including the two turbines and generators.
The Suezawa Hydroelectric Power Station, in Uonuma City, began operating in 1958. J-POWER will comprehensively update the main facilities to improve reliability, rationalize operations, and save on labor costs.
J-POWER said it is using “a new type of water turbine” it developed. Employing fluid dynamics technology to investigate the causes and to reduce losses from water turbines, it is possible to optimize the complex “blade” shape and make designs that are more technologically advanced than conventional manufacturers’ designs, resulting in more efficient power generation, the company said in announcing this technology.
The maximum water intake at the Hiraishi Intake Dam will be increased from 6.2 tonnes to 8.6 tonnes per second, which will boost capacity of the unit from 1.5 MW to 2.2 MW and increase the amount of electricity generated. Completion of construction and resumption of operations are scheduled for November 2024.
J-POWER is headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo. The company has operational hydroelectric projects in China and the Philippines, as well as hydro plants under construction/development in Australia and the U.S.
J-POWER said it “is committed to expanding the introduction of renewable energy projects to achieve carbon neutrality.”
