In May 2000, as part of its 50th anniversary observance, Tohuku Electric established its Venture Support Program, an internal venture business incubator designed to point the company toward promising new areas of enterprise, promote human-resource development and energize the organization. The innovative program was set up to attract entrepreneurial employees interested in planning and operating their own companies. In the first round of applications, 64 employees submitted 68 applications, which went through two rounds of internal review. In September 2001, Agripower became the first business venture to receive final approval from the review board.

Agripower proposes to recover river waste — such as plant matter, wood and household refuse — that gets caught in the 27 hydroelectric generators and 11 dams of the Tadami-Agano river system and recycle it into sawdust, compost and other processed agricultural material. Agripower's comprehensive plan will allow all river waste to be recycled, completely dispensing with the need for incineration. Moreover, the capital investment required for the project will amount to only about 60% of the cost involved in upgrading an existing incinerator. Selling the converted material to local farmers will help the region as well as the global environment.

Tohoku Electric will provide assistance to help Agripower reach an optimum operation level more quickly. Tohoku Electric also plans to expand the venture program to other companies within its corporate group to benefit the Tohoku Group as a whole.
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