Ubol Ratana Dam

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 north of Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. It was the first hydroelectric power project developed in Thailand's northeastern area of Isan. The dam impounds the Nam Phong, which flows into the Chi River and thence to the Mun River, a tributary of the Mekong River. The dam was given its current name by royal permission in 1966, in honour of princess Ubol Ratana, the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
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. Its crest length is , and high. Its catchment area is . Its reservoir has a maximum storage capacity of .
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 . The dam generates an average of 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:
Due to the ongoing 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.