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Azumi

Hydro power plant in Nagano, Japan. Approximate location 36.1325, 137.7182.

HydroNaganoJapanpumped storage

Azumi is a 623 MW hydro power station in Nagano, Japan. It is operated by Tokyo. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 624k homes (estimated). It ranks #133 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1969, it is around 57 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 7.2% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

623Source-backed capacity
623,712homes powered (est.)
1969commissioned (~57 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000699.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAzumi WRI
CountryJapan · Nagano WRI
Coordinates36.1325, 137.7182 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity623 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTokyo WRI
Commissioned1969 WRI
Technologypumped storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#133 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 55 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.78× · 350 MW median · 55 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent623,712 calculated
Climate6.6°C · HDD 4,179 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000602245); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 623 MW, Azumi is well above the median hydro plant in Japan (350 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Japan

Okutataragi: 1,932 MW2kOkutataragiOkumino: 1,500 MW2kOkuminoOkawachi: 1,280 MW1kOkawachiShin Takasegawa: 1,280 MW1kShin Takas…Okuyoshino: 1,206 MW1kOkuyoshinoMatanogawa: 1,200 MW1kMatanogawaOmarugawa: 1,200 MW1kOmarugawaTamahara: 1,200 MW1kTamahara

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Tokyo. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.6°Cannual mean temp
4,179heating degree-days (base 18°C)
41cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,506 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -5 °CFM: -2 °CMA: 5 °CAM: 10 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 9 °CON: 3 °CND: -2 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 70% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 86/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
24.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
110 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #17 largest hydro power plant of 55 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 55 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 27,749 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.1325, 137.7182 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Azumi?

Azumi is a 623 MW source-record hydro power plant in Nagano, Japan, commissioned in 1969.

How many homes can Azumi power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 623,712 homes (estimated).

Who operates Azumi?

Azumi is operated by Tokyo.

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