Ikawa Dam
| Ikawa Dam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Official name | 井川ダム |
| Location | Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°12′38″N 138°13′22″E / 35.21056°N 138.22278°ECoordinates: 35°12′38″N 138°13′22″E / 35.21056°N 138.22278°E |
| Construction began | 1952 |
| Opening date | 1957 |
| Operator(s) | Chubu Electric Power |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Ōi River |
| Height | 103.6 meters |
| Length | 243 meters |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Ikawa-ko |
| Total capacity | 150,000,000 m3 |
| Catchment area | 459.2 km2 |
| Surface area | 422 hectares |
The Ikawa Dam (井川ダム Ikawa damu?) is a dam on the Ōi River in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture on the island of Honshū, Japan. It was the first hollow core concrete gravity dam to be constructed in Japan, and has a hydroelectric power generating station owned by the Chubu Electric Power Company.
The potential of the Ōi River valley for hydroelectric power development was realized by the Meiji government at the start of the 20th century. The Ōi River was characterized by a high volume of flow and a fast current. Its mountainous upper reaches and tributaries were areas of steep valleys and abundant rainfall, and were sparsely populated.
In 1906, a joint venture company, the Anglo-Japanese Hydroelectric Company (日英水力電気 Nichiei Suiroku Denki?) was established, and began studies and design work on plans to exploit the potential of the Ōi River and Fuji River in Shizuoka Prefecture. The British interests were bought out by 1921, and electrical production nationalized under the aegis of the Japan Electric Generation and Transmission Company (日本発送電株式会社 Nippon Hassoden K.K.?) in 1938. The first dams on the Ōi River were completed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but further work was suspended by the Great Depression of the 1930s, and World War II in the 1940s. However, by the early 1950s, Japan’s need for electrical energy was growing exponentially, especially in the industrial belt near Nagoya. After the breakup of Nippon Hassoden at the end of World War II into various regional power utilities, the bulk of the dams on the Ōi River came under the control of Chubu Electric Power.
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