The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric generation and it creates the lower reservoir for the Matanogawa Pumped Storage Power Station (俣野川発電所).

It is 69.3 metres (227 ft) tall and creates a reservoir with a 7,940,000-cubic-metre (6,440 acre⋅ft) storage capacity.

The power station is located on the southern bank of the reservoir and contains four 300 megawatts (400,000 hp) Francis pump-turbine-generators.

The upper reservoir for the pumped-storage scheme is created by the Doyo Dam located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the southeast in Okayama Prefecture.

The same pump-generators that pump the water to Doyo reverse and generate electricity when it is sent back down.