Bhumibol Dam
| Bhumibol Dam | |
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 Location of Bhumibol Dam in Thailand
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| Country | Thailand |
| Location | Amphoe Sam Ngao, Tak Province |
| Coordinates | 17°14′33″N 98°58′20″E / 17.24250°N 98.97222°ECoordinates: 17°14′33″N 98°58′20″E / 17.24250°N 98.97222°E |
| Status | In use |
| Construction began | 1958 |
| Opening date | 1964 |
| Owner(s) | Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Ping River |
| Height | 154 m (505 ft) |
| Length | 486 m (1,594 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Bhumibol Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 13,462,000,000 m3 (10,913,821 acre·ft) |
| Active capacity | 9,762,000,000 m3 (7,914,182 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 26,400 km2 (10,193 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 300 km2 (116 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1964-1996 |
| Turbines | 6 x 76.3 MW Francis-type, 1 x 115 MW Pelton-type, 1 x 175 MW Francis pump-turbine |
| Installed capacity | 743.8 MW |
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 Amphoe Sam Ngao district of Tak Province, Thailand. It is about 480 km (298 mi) 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 was Thailand's first multi-purpose project.
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 Sirkit Dams control 22 percent of the Chao Phraya's annual runoff combined. Both dams also help provide for the irrigation of 1,200,000 ha (4,633 sq mi) in the wet season and 480,000 ha (1,853 sq mi) in the dry season.
In 1991, the Lower Mae Ping Dam (17°14′31″N 99°00′58″E / 17.24194°N 99.01611°E) was constructed 5 km (3 mi) downstream to create a lower reservoir for the one pumped-storage turbine that was installed. When constructed, the Bhumibol Dam contributed 22 percent of Thailand's power generation and in 2003 that number was 2 percent.
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