Xayaburi Dam
| Xayaburi Dam | |
|---|---|
| Country | Laos |
| Location | Xayaburi |
| Coordinates | 19°14′34.4″N 101°49′06.4″E / 19.242889°N 101.818444°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2012 |
| Opening date | October 2019 |
| Construction cost | US$3.8 billion |
| Owner(s) | Xayaburi Power Company Limited |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Run-of-river concrete barrage |
| Impounds | Mekong |
| Height | 32.6 m (107 ft) |
| Length | 820 m (2,690 ft) |
| Spillway type | 10 x radial gates |
| Spillway capacity | 3,980 m3/s (141,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 1.3 km3 (1,100,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 272,000 km2 (105,000 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 49 km2 (19 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Xayaburi Power Company Limited |
| Hydraulic head | 18 m (59 ft) (rated) |
| Turbines | EDL: 1 × 60 MW EGAT: 7 x 175 MW |
| Installed capacity | 1,285 MW |
| Annual generation | 7,370 GWh |
| Website www | |
The Xayaburi Dam is a run-of-river hydroelectric dam on the Lower Mekong River, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the town of Sainyabuli (Xayaburi) in northern Laos. Commercial operation of the dam started in October 2019. The main purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power, 95% of which is to be purchased by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The project is surrounded in controversy due to complaints from downstream riparians and environmentalists. Preliminary construction began in early-2012, but work on the dam itself was suspended shortly thereafter due to complaints from Cambodia and Vietnam downstream. After making modifications to the dam's design, Laos started construction with a ceremony on 7 November 2012. The Xayaburi Dam is the first of the 11 dams planned on the lower Mekong.