Mingtan Dam
The Mingtan Dam (Chinese: 明潭壩; pinyin: Míngtán Bà) is a dam that spans the Shuili River about 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream from the outlet of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan with a height of about 61.5 m (202 ft). It forms Mingtan Reservoir which is the lower reservoir for the Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant.[2]
| Mingtan Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
_location_map.svg.png.webp)  Location of Mingtan Dam in Nantou County | |
| Official name | 明潭壩 |
| Location | Shuili, Nantou County, Taiwan |
| Coordinates | 23°50′11″N 120°52′04″E |
| Construction began | 1987 |
| Opening date | 1995 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity |
| Impounds | Shuili River |
| Height (foundation) | 61.5 m (202 ft) |
| Length | 314 m (1,030 ft) |
| Spillway capacity | 2,550 m3/s (90,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Mingtan Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 14,000,000 m3 (11,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 590.3 km2 (227.9 sq mi) |
| Turbines | 6 x 267 MW (358,000 hp) Francis pump-turbines [1] |
| Installed capacity | 1,602 MW (2,148,000 hp) |
History
To meet the demand of the ever-increasing peak load in Taiwan and to fully utilize off-peak power, the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) had entrusted European consultants to undertake feasibility study since 1973. The study showed the feasibility of constructing Mingtan Dam to meet such peak load demand, to avoid expanding current fossil-fuel power plants in Taiwan and to have lower operational cost. The dam was completed in 1994 and opened a year later.[3] During the 7.7-magnitude 1999 Jiji earthquake, Mingtan was one of eight dams that sustained damage, but did not collapse.[4]
Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant
The Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Taiwan.[2] It uses Sun Moon Lake as the upper reservoir and Shuili River reservoir as lower reservoir. During high power demand, water used for power generation from Sun Moon Lake, as well as Shuili River, fills Mingtan Reservoir. During low demand, the water is pumped back upstream to the lake. This system can generate up to 1,602 megawatts (2,148,000 hp) at peak production.[5]
Transportation
The dam is accessible within walking distance North from Checheng Station of the Taiwan Railways Jiji Line.
See also
- Minghu Dam – located upstream with another pumped-storage power plant
- List of dams and reservoirs in Taiwan
- List of power stations in Taiwan
- List of pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations
- Electricity sector in Taiwan
References
- "Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Plants - Asia-Pacific". IndustCards. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- Foster, Peter; Campbell, Grant (March 2000). "Nzsold Reconnaissance Report-Taiwan Dams" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - Charlwood, R.G.; Little, T.E.; Lou, J.K. (April 2000). "A review of the performance of two large substations and eight large dams during the Chi Chi Taiwan earthquake" (PDF). Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- "Minghu and Mingtan Reservoirs" (PDF). Taiwan Council for Public Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
