The Sirindhorn Dam is in
Sirindhorn District
Sirindhorn ( th, สิรินธร; ) is a district (''amphoe'') of Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, established by the Royal Decree Establishing Amphoe Sirindhorn, BE 2534 (1991), coming into force on 4 January 1992. It was named in the ...
,
Ubon Ratchatani,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
It impounds the
Lam Dom Noi River, and its reservoir is the province's largest water resource. The dam was commissioned in 1971 to serve as a
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
facility as well as to supply
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
water. The dam was named after Princess Royal
Sirindhorn
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, The Princess Royal and Princess Debaratana Rajasuda ( th, มหาจักรีสิรินธร, ; ; born April 2, 1955), formerly Princess Sirindhorn Debaratanasuda Kitivadhanadulsobhak ( th, สมเ ...
. All of the electricity generated by the dam is destined for domestic markets. The dam was constructed and is owned and operated by the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) ( th, การไฟฟ้าฝ่ายผลิตแห่งประเทศไทย; ) is a state enterprise, managed by the Ministry of Energy, responsible for electric power ge ...
and is located in the
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...
River Basin, just upstream from the controversial
Pak Mun Dam
The Pak Mun Dam ( th, เขื่อนปากมูล, , ) is a barrage dam and run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun and Mekong Rivers in Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thail ...
.
Some 2,000 villagers were resettled to make way for the dam's reservoir. Many claim they did not receive adequate compensation for the loss of their livelihood and only received compensation for 80% of their land. Furthermore, they claim that the land in the resettlement village is of poor quality and few crops can be grown, and that a proposed irrigation canal was never built.
The reservoir and dam power the Sirindhorn Hydropower Plant, which has an installed capacity of 3 units of 12,000 kilowatts each and annual energy production of 90
GWh
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
.
Floating solar
Floating solar or floating photovoltaics (FPV), sometimes called floatovoltaics, is solar panels mounted on a structure that floats on a body of water, typically a reservoir or a lake.
The market for this renewable energy technology has grown rap ...
panels were installed in 2021, increasing the power to 45 MW.
There is a park near the dam headquarters and a restaurant and bungalows for visitors.
There is a golf course in this area also, at the north end of the lake.
See also
*
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...
*
Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an "...inter-governmental organisation that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekon ...
*
Mun River
The Mun River ( th, แม่น้ำมูล, , ), sometimes spelled ''Moon River'', is a tributary of the Mekong River. It carries approximately of water per year.
Geography
The river begins in the Khao Yai National Park area of the Sankam ...
*
Dom Noi River
Lam Dom Noi ( th, ลำโดมน้อย, ) is a tributary of the Mun River. It originates in the Dongrek mountains and flows northwards. The watercourse passes Buntharik District and is stopped by the Sirindhorn Dam in Chong Mek Subdistric ...
*
Pak Mun Dam
The Pak Mun Dam ( th, เขื่อนปากมูล, , ) is a barrage dam and run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun and Mekong Rivers in Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thail ...
References
External links
{{Commons category, Sirindhorn Dam
CPWF-MekongHydropower Construction Division, Electricity Generating Authority of ThailandDepartment of Energy Promotion and Development (EPD), Ministry of Energy and Mines (Lao PDR)Department of Water Resources (Thailand)Greater Mekong Sub-region Social Studies Center - Thailand National Mekong Committee
Dams in the Mekong River Basin
Dams in Thailand
Hydroelectric power stations in Thailand
Isan
Buildings and structures in Ubon Ratchathani province
Dams completed in 1971
Energy infrastructure completed in 1971
1971 establishments in Thailand