Tamahara Dam

Tanbara Dam (玉原ダム, which can be mistakenly read Tamahara Dam ) is a rock-fill embankment dam impounding the headwaters of the Hotchi River, a Tone River tributary in Gunma Prefecture of Japan. It is located 14 km north of Numata. It creates the upper reservoir for the 1200 MW Tamahara Pumped Storage Power Station (玉原発電所). Construction began in 1973 and the dam was complete in 1981 while the power station was commissioned in 1986. It is 116 m tall and withholds a reservoir with a storage capacity of 14800000 m3. Of that capacity, 13000000 m3 is active (or useful) for power generation. The lower reservoir for the pumped-storage power station is created by the Fujiwara Dam, located 4 km to the northwest on another Tone River tributary. Power is generated during periods of high energy demand and pumping occurs during times when energy demand is low such as at night. The power station contains four 300 MW reversible Francis turbine pump-generators which serve to both pump water and generate electricity. The upper Tamahara Reservoir is at an elevation of 1177 m and the lower Fujiwara Reservoir is at 651 m which affords the power station an effective hydraulic head of 518 m. When pumping, the pump-generators can move up to 210 m3/s of water and when generating, they discharge up to 276 m3/s.