Ubol Ratana Dam

"Nam Phong Dam" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Nam Pung Dam.

Ubolratana Dam
File:Ubol Ratana Dam.jpg Upstream side of dam
Location of Ubolratana Dam in Thailand
Official name	Ubol Ratana Dam
Location	Khon Kaen Province, Thailand
Coordinates
Opening date	1966
Owner(s)	Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earth core rock-fill dam
Impounds	Phong River
Height	32 m (105 ft)
Length	885 m (2,904 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Ubol Ratana Reservoir
Total capacity	2,263,000 m3 (79,900,000 cu ft)
Catchment area	12,104 km2 (4,673 sq mi)
Power station
Operator(s)	Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
Turbines	3 x 8.4 MW Kaplan-type
Installed capacity	25.2 MW
Annual generation	57 GWh

The Ubol Ratana Dam (pronounced: Ubon Rat), formerly known as the "Phong Neeb Dam", is a multi-purpose dam in tambon Khok Sung, Ubolratana District, approximately 50 km (31 mi) north of Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. It was the first hydroelectric power project developed in the Thailand's northeastern area of Isan. The dam impounds the Nam Phong, a tributary of the Mekong River. The dam was given its current name by royal permission in 1966, in honour of Thai princess Ubolratana Rajakanya.

Description

The dam is multi-purpose: electricity generation, irrigation, flood control, transportation, fisheries, and as tourist attraction. It is an earth core rockfill dam, constructed in 1964. It's crest length is 885 m (2,904 ft), and 32 m (105 ft) high. Its catchment area is 12,104 km² (4,673 sq mi). Its reservoir has a maximum storage capacity of 2,263,000 m³ (79,900,000 cu ft).

The dam is managed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

Thirty thousand people were resettled to make way for the large reservoir accompanying the dam. This resettlement resulted in a sharp decrease in forested areas in the catchment areas and an increase in erosion.

In 1984, the dam was modified to reinforce dam safety and to ensure better flood protection.

Power plant

The power plant at the dam has three turbines, each with an installed capacity of 8,400 KW. The dam generates an average of 57 GWh a year. The operation of the turbines commenced on 4 February 1966, 14 March 1969, and 12 June 1968 respectively.

History

In April 2016 the dam ran dry for the first time since its construction. With no usable storage it cannot provide irrigation water, cannot generate electricity, and its fish population is dying. Its usable storage stands at minus 3.95 percent (as of (2016-04-04).

Ubol Ratana Dam is the first of the royal dams to run dry. The other royal dams are:

• Bhumibol Dam: opened in 1964 in the north on the Ping River. Capacity: 13,462,000,000 m³.
• Sirindhorn Dam: opened in 1971 in the northeast on the Lam Dom Noi River. Capacity: 1,966,000,000 m³
• Chulabhorn Dam: opened in 1972 in the northeast on the Phrong River. Capacity: 165,000,000 m³
• Sirikit Dam: opened in 1974 in the north on the Nan River. Capacity: 9,510,000,000 m³
• Srinagarind Dam: opened in 1980 in the west on the Khwae Yai River. Capacity: 17,745,000,000 m³
• Vajiralongkorn Dam: opened in 1984 in the west on the Khwae Noi River. Capacity: 8,100,000 m³

Due to the on-going drought, the royal dams are heavily stressed. According to the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, as of 3 April 2016, sixteen Thai dams are at critically low levels of usable reservoir storage. Of the other royal dams, Bhumibol Dam is at four percent, Sirindhorn Dam is at 10 percent, Srinagarind Dam is at 11 percent, Sirikit Dam is at 12 percent, Chulabhorn Dam is at 13 percent, and Vajiralongkorn Dam is at 14 percent.

See also

• Mekong River Basin Hydropower
• Mekong River Commission
• Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand

External links

• CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food-Mekong
• Thailand National Mekong Committee
• Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
• Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience
• Mekong River Commission