Bhumibol Dam
The Bhumibol Dam (formerly known as the Yanhi Dam) is a concrete arch dam on the Ping River, a tributary of the Chao Phraya River, in Sam Ngao District of Tak Province, Thailand. It is about  north of Bangkok and was built for the purposes of water storage, hydroelectric power production, flood control, fisheries and saltwater intrusion management. The dam was named after King Bhumibol Adulyadej and it was Thailand's first multi-purpose project. It is the highest dam in Thailand at  tall. Background
The dam was originally called Yanhee Dam in 1951 when the government of prime minister Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsongkram initiated the project. It was renamed Bhumibol Dam in 1957. The dam, among others in the Chao Phraya basin, was constructed beginning in the 1950s to exploit the agricultural and hydroelectric potential of the basin. Construction on the dam began in 1958 and was finished in 1964 at a cost of 3.5 billion baht. The reservoir was completely filled in 1970. The first two generators were commissioned in 1964. In 1972, the Sirikit Dam was completed on the Nan River, one of two major tributaries of the Chao Phraya including the Ping. The Bhumibol and Sirikit Dams control 22 percent of the Chao Phraya's annual runoff combined. Both dams also help provide for the irrigation of  in the wet season and  in the dry season. In 1991, the Lower Mae Ping Dam () was constructed  downstream to create a lower reservoir for the one pumped-storage turbine that was installed. When constructed, the Bhumibol Dam contributed 73.66 percent of Thailand's power generation and in 2003 that number was 2 percent. During the 2011 Thailand floods, rainfall for March 2011 over the area of northern Thailand was an extraordinary 344 percent above normal. Bhumibol Dam in particular got  of rain,  above the mean of  and since 1 January had accumulated ,  or 186 percent above normal. Design
The dam is an arch-gravity type and is  tall,  long and  wide at its crest. It withholds a reservoir of  of which  is active or "useful" storage. The dam's catchment area is 
while its surface area is . The Lower Mae Ping Dam is  high,  long and has a storage capacity of . In off-peak hours, the one pump-turbine returns water back into the Bhumibol (upper) reservoir and when demand is high, the pump serves as a generator for power production. Power station
The power plant contains eight turbines for an installed capacity of . Six are  Francis-type, one is a  Pelton turbine and one is a  Francis pump-turbine. The dam's power house underwent upgrades and renovations in the 1990s. Climate

See also

List of power stations in Thailand
 King Bhumibol Adulyadej

References

External links

Bhumibol Dam  at Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
WMO Climate Normals: Bhumibol Dam

Dams in Thailand
Hydroelectric power stations in Thailand
Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in Thailand
Arch dams
Dams completed in 1964
Buildings and structures in Tak province
1964 establishments in Thailand
Energy infrastructure completed in 1964