History of Japan’s first commercial hydroelectric generation at keage power station

Kyoto Prefecture launched the ‘Lake Biwa Canal Project’ in 1881, intending to channel water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto. Its original objective was to use the water for waterway transportation, water wheels, irrigation, fire-fighting, etc., but midway through its construction work the project was refined so as to include the hydroelectric power generation, based on the investigation of the hydroelectric plant just started in Aspen, Colorado, USA. This refinement gave birth to the Japan’s first commercial hydroelectric generation at Keage in Kyoto. This article overviews the history of construction and operation of the Keage Power Station.