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Okuniikappu

Hydro power plant in Hokkaido, Japan. Approximate location 42.6741, 142.6779.

HydroHokkaidoJapanrun-of-river

Okuniikappu is a 44 MW hydro power plant in Hokkaido, Japan. It is operated by HOKKAIDO ELECTRIC POWER CO INC. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 44k homes (estimated). It ranks #339 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1963, it is around 63 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).

44Legacy source-record capacity
44,050homes powered (est.)
1963commissioned (~63 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1020233.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOkuniikappu WRI
CountryJapan · Hokkaido WRI
Coordinates42.6741, 142.6779 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity44 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHOKKAIDO ELECTRIC POWER CO INC WRI
Commissioned1963 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#339 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#52 of 55 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.13× · 350 MW median · 55 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent44,050 calculated
Climate1.9°C · HDD 5,832 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 44 MW, Okuniikappu is below the median hydro plant in Japan (350 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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 HOKKAIDO ELECTRIC POWER CO INC. 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 42.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

1.9°Cannual mean temp
5,832heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,030 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -12 °CJF: -11 °CFM: -7 °CMA: 0 °CAM: 6 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 15 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 11 °CSO: 5 °CON: -1 °CND: -8 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 137% 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: 98/100 — 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)
36/100environmental-severity index
27.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
42 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 #52 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 42.6741, 142.6779 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Okuniikappu?

Okuniikappu is a 44 MW source-record hydro power plant in Hokkaido, Japan, commissioned in 1963.

How many homes can Okuniikappu power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 44,050 homes (estimated).

Who operates Okuniikappu?

Okuniikappu is operated by HOKKAIDO ELECTRIC POWER CO INC.

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