Matsukawa Geothermal is a 23.5 MW geothermal power plant in Iwate, Japan. It is operated by TOHOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 44k homes (estimated). It ranks #435 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1020119.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 23.5 MW, Matsukawa Geothermal is below the median geothermal plant in Japan (30 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Japan geothermal capacity
- 4.4% of 536 MW across 14 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 0 of 12 dated geothermal plants in Japan are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest geothermal plants in Japan
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by TOHOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 48% 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: 79/100 — 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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
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 #10 largest geothermal power plant of 14 in Japan by capacity.
Japan has 14 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 536 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Kakkonda · Geothermal · 80 MW · Iwate
- Sumikawa Akita · Geothermal · 50 MW · Akita
- Onuma Plant · Geothermal · 9.5 MW · Akita
- Shizukuishi · Solar · 24.8 MW · Iwate
- Ikawa - Juwi Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.5 MW · Akita
- Akita · Oil · 1,300 MW · Akita
Location
Coordinates 39.9271, 140.9333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Matsukawa Geothermal?
Matsukawa Geothermal is a 23.5 MW geothermal power plant in Iwate, Japan, commissioned in 1966.
Who operates Matsukawa Geothermal?
Matsukawa Geothermal is operated by TOHOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO.