WLE Mekong
  • About Us
    • About us
      • Our objectives
      • Our team
      • Contact us
    • Our partners
        • Cambodian Partners
        • Chinese Partners
        • International Partners
        • Lao Partners
        • Myanmar Partners
        • Thai Partners
        • Vietnamese Partners
    • Close
  • Changes
    • Where We Work
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • View all projects
    • Our Work
      • Benefit-sharing
      • Catchments & Landuse
      • Gender & Diversity
      • Research for Development
      • River Food Systems
      • River Monitoring
      • Water Governance
      • Capacity Building & Professional Development
    • Our Research
      • Greater Mekong Dams Observatory
      • State of Knowledge Series
      • Water Knowledge Series
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
    • Close
  • Dialogue
    • Stories
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • Mekong Citizen
    • Greater Mekong Fora
      • 2018 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2017 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2016 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2015 Greater Mekong Forum
    • Close

Mekong Blog

  • Mekong River Basin

Xayabury dam can withstand big earthquakes, engineer says

  • Stories
  • Greater Mekong Forums
  • Mekong Citizen

Xayabury dam can withstand big earthquakes, engineer says

Kim GehebMay 15, 2014Vientiane Times

Vientiane Times, May 13, 2014

Xayaboury hydropower plant, which is currently under construction on a section of the Mekong River in northern Laos, is designed to withstand a strong earthquake, according to the project consultant.

Director of Hydropower & Renewable Asia of Pöyry Energy Ltd, Mr Knut Sierotzki made the comments yesterday amid worries that the strong earthquake that damaged buildings and roads in Chiang Rai, Thailand, on May 5 could cause negative impacts to the dam.

“The epicentre of the magnitude 6.3 Chiang Rai earthquake was more than 200 km away from the Xayabury Hydropower Project site,” he said. “The ground shaking occurring at such distances could be felt by people but was of no concern for well-designed and constructed dams.”

“No effects of this earthquake could be detected at the Xayabury dam site.” The May 5 event occurred at a fault zone which is not related to the Dien Bien Phu Fault Zone that passes near the Xayabury dam project.

The design of the Xayabury dam has been designed to withstand earthquakes of a greater magnitude than the Chang Rai tremor within the immediate vicinity of the dam, Mr Sierotzki explained.

Moreover, the damage caused by this earthquake was mainly observed in structures on soil whereas the Xayabury dam is located on sound bedrock, he added.

Furthermore, as the maximum change in water level at the Xayabury dam site is less than 40 metres, the possibility of triggering earthquakes due to the filling of the reservoir is very small.

The magnitude of such events is also smaller than the maximum credible earthquake considered in the dam design, Mr Sierotzki said, and therefore they pose no threat to the safety of the dam.

The earthquake considered in the design of the Xayaburi project is called ‘maximum credible earthquake,’ which is expected at the site, he explained, without giving further technical specifications.

Such earthquakes may never occur during the lifespan of the dam which may be well over 100 years if it is properly maintained. Therefore, there is no concern that this dam may threaten any people living downstream during a strong earthquake, Mr Sierotzki said.

Thailand’s Royal Irrigation Department says its dams located in the Chiang Rai area experienced strong ground shaking.

These dams are mainly irrigation dams and no damage has been reported to any of them. All dams in the vicinity of the earthquake zone behaved in accordance with expectations.

Previous
Story
Next
Story

Related Stories

  • mekong
    July 11, 2013
    Study on new dam in Xayaboury
  • mekong
    October 25, 2012
    Hydropower plants generate safe, clean energy: Deputy PM
  • mekong
    April 23, 2014
    Mekong nations commit to sustainability
  • mekong
    January 19, 2016
    Impressions from a study trip to Laos - Le Phuoc Thao
    River Food Systems
  • mekong
    August 25, 2013
    Govt demonstrates transparency over Xayaboury dam
  • mekong
    September 16, 2014
    Don Sahong dam runs into trouble
  • mekong
    May 25, 2016
    Abstractions and heuristics; or how to complete a visa application
    Catchments & Landuse | Water Governance
  • mekong
    February 27, 2014
    Study documents being processed for Nam Theun 2 expansion
  • mekong
    January 22, 2013
    Laos to drive sustainable development in Mekong basin
  • mekong
    May 2, 2013
    Mekong Agreement backs sustainable development in the region
  • mekong
    November 16, 2013
    Laos seeks to pacify neighbours over Don Sahong dam
  • mekong
    August 25, 2013
    Two hydro projects ready to go in Saravan
  • mekong
    March 25, 2015
    Don Sahong fish studies will continue
  • mekong
    February 4, 2015
    Laos sees positive outcome from Don Sahong consultation: official
  • MK21
    mekong
    February 1, 2015
    More Nuclear Power Could Help Restrain Worsening Global Warming -- IEA Report
    Capacity Building | Catchments & Landuse | Gender & Diversity | River Monitoring | Water Governance
  • mekong
    October 14, 2012
    Govt promotes investment in small-scale hydropower
  • mekong
    October 30, 2013
    Chinese 'dam art'
  • mekong
    March 27, 2013
    Hong Kong firm to clear land for Nam Ngum 3 reservoir
  • mekong
    May 2, 2013
    Xayaboury dam designed to protect fish species
  • mekong
    January 22, 2013
    Theun-Hinboun hydro expansion project powers up

The sustainable development of the Greater Mekong depends on the fair and equitable governance of its water.

ABOUT WLE

  • Our objectives
  • Our team
  • Our partners
  • Terms of use
  • Newsletters
  • Contact us

CO-SUPPORTED BY

WLE Greater Mekong is funded in part by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Water, Land & Ecosystems Mekong - footer logos
© All rights reserved - WLE CGIAR
Subscribe to our newsletter SIGN UP
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy