Aiming for the Reactivation of the Toki Hydropower Plant
A Project was also Launched Involving Students

Along the Makita River in the Toki district of Kamiishizu Town, Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, stands a small hydropower plant that has been around for over a century. In 2022, nearly half a century after its closure in 1976, the local Ibiden Engineering Co., Ltd. began a full-scale renovation. The building and generators are being completely overhauled, with a goal to restart operations in April 2024. More than a decade before the commencement of this renovation project, in 2011, it was Tamesuke Nagahashi, Professor at the College of Social Sciences of Ritsumeikan University, who specializes in community and urban development research and practice, along with students from the university, who had been tirelessly working in the Toki district towards the revival of small hydropower generation there.

Nagahashi has been investigating documents like the "Toki Village History" to elucidate the history of the Toki Hydropower Plant. According to his findings, the Toki Hydropower Plant was established in 1921 when local residents invested in it, and it was set up as a corporation based on village management. With a power generation capacity of 160kW, it was considered a relatively large plant for its time. In 1922, it was successively merged with Kansai Electric Co., Ltd. and Toho Electric Power Co., Ltd. Then, in 1937, it was acquired by Shiraishi Kogyo Kaisha, Ltd., a company that dealt with industrial lime in the local area. They continued operating the Toki Hydropower Plant as a power source for their factory until 1976. "Because it wasn't handed over to one of the nine subsequent major power companies and was retained by a private company, it has become a rare power plant that has largely retained its original appearance," says Nagahashi.

The catalyst for his involvement with this power plant was the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. "I was deeply shocked by the extent of the damage and was once again made acutely aware of the importance of producing and consuming energy locally rather than relying solely on large-scale power sources. I felt an irresistible urge to do whatever little I could," he says. What caught his attention were small-scale hydropower plants. Numerous small hydropower plants have been constructed throughout the country during modern industrialization since the Meiji era, and the Toki Hydropower Plant is one of them.

His first visit to the site was in May 2011. Subsequently, Nagahashi launched the "Time is Now Project" (a play on words, as the district name Toki means time) as part of the Active Learning Program at the College of Social Sciences, Ritsumeikan University. In September of the same year, he visited the site for a current status survey with about 30 students. With the cooperation of the Toki Town Development Promotion Executive Committee and the NPO Regional Renaissance Agency, they conducted hearings with local elders and surveyed the plant. From there, the effort began to reactivate the Toki Hydropower Plant and explore the potential of small-scale distributed energy.

Reviving Small Hydropower Plants Demonstrates Potential for Community Revitalization

However, the journey has been a long one. "You can't proceed in a self-centered manner without the consensus and cooperation of the local community. For the generation familiar with the history of the Toki Hydropower Plant, it's a proud industrial heritage, but some residents either didn't know of its existence or had little interest in it. Above all, I believed it was crucial to gain the trust of the local people, so the students and I engaged in activities that contributed to the community," Nagahashi explains. Nagahashi and the students actively participated in local festivals and thinning operations to increase water retention in forests and improve timber quality, deepening their ties with the community.

In February 2012, a workshop was held to exchange opinions with local residents based on the survey results. Furthermore, based on the students' proposals, a vacant house was rented in the area, which was named "Toki no Ie" (House of Toki), and an activity base was established there. "Taking this as a starting point, local initiatives began offering newcomers vacant houses in the area. So far, 25 households, totaling 56 people, have relocated here."

In AY2015, a series of workshops to formulate the "Vision for Toki District 10 Years from Now" was conducted, which is an initiative proposed by a graduate who had taken a job at the NPO mentioned above. "Participants ranged from elementary school students to the elderly. Initially, communication across different generations and genders was challenging. However, as the sessions progressed, everyone, regardless of age or gender, began to passionately exchange opinions. Deepening connections among the community members was the most significant achievement," reflects Nagahashi. Various local issues were shared through these discussions, and new initiatives, such as small businesses, were launched. The efforts towards reviving the small hydropower plant demonstrated the potential for convergence with community development and revitalization, which was a source of great joy.

After these efforts, they faced various challenges, including concerns about insufficient water supply for power generation and the stagnation of activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their unwavering commitment and continuous activities led to a serendipitous encounter with the passionate and sincere Ibiden Engineering Co., Ltd., culminating in the current renovation project.

"Of course, the power generated by the Toki Hydropower Plant alone can't possibly match that of nuclear energy. However, over the past decade, there's been a growing movement across various regions to utilize local small hydropower plants. We see the Toki Hydropower Plant as one such example and aim to share information with other regions," Nagahashi explains. The importance of creating a ripple effect is clear. Each individual effort might be like a small stone, but when many come together, they can generate greater ripples across the water's surface. With this belief, Nagahashi looks towards the future of the community.