TaSang Dam
Encyclopedia
The TaSang Dam is a planned multi-purpose dam on the Salween River
in the Shan State
, Burma. The TaSang dam’s location will be 480 km (298.3 mi) northeast of Rangoon and 52.8 km (32.8 mi) west of Mongtong
. The TaSang Dam will be the first dam on the Salween River
and will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Burma and the tallest dam in Southeast Asia if completed. The TaSang will cost more than $6 billion USD and is planned for completion in 2022. The groundbreaking ceremony was in March 2007, but construction has been stalled, and there has been little activity at the dam site as of 2008.
Substantial domestic and international controversy surrounds the TaSang Dam project. The TaSang dam is one of five dams the Burmese Government plans to build on the Salween River.
and Burma. 85% of the hydro-electricity produced is expected to be transmitted to Thailand.
will cut the majority of Shan State
in half, preluding serious social and environmental problems.
, China Southern Power Grid Company, China Three Gorges Project Corporation and the British Malcolm Dunstan & Associates. The groundbreaking ceremony for the dam was in March 2007, but since the ceremony, actual construction of the dam has been stalled, and there has been little activity at the dam-site.
in half –almost to the Chinese border – and will negatively impact the local communities and ecosystems. Burma’s Junta
is responsible for the relocations and there have reports of serious human rights violations including executions.
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
in the Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
, Burma. The TaSang dam’s location will be 480 km (298.3 mi) northeast of Rangoon and 52.8 km (32.8 mi) west of Mongtong
Mong Tong Township
Mong Ton Township or Mong Tong Township is a township of Mongsat District in the Shan State of Myanmar. The principal town is Mong Ton. It borders Mong Ping Township to the north, Mong Hsat Township to the east, Mong Nai Township and Mong Pan Township to the west and Thailand to the south.Given its...
. The TaSang Dam will be the first dam on the Salween River
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
and will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Burma and the tallest dam in Southeast Asia if completed. The TaSang will cost more than $6 billion USD and is planned for completion in 2022. The groundbreaking ceremony was in March 2007, but construction has been stalled, and there has been little activity at the dam site as of 2008.
Substantial domestic and international controversy surrounds the TaSang Dam project. The TaSang dam is one of five dams the Burmese Government plans to build on the Salween River.
Background
Since the late 1990s, the Burmese Government proposed to build the TaSang dam but was unable to implement the construction plan until this decade because of civil unrest. Nippon Koei, a Japanese company conducted studies for the dam in 1981 and subsequent studies were done in 2002. Thailand’s MDX Group agreed in 2002 to develop the project. Thailand is the main investor in the dam project and the trade of the TaSang’s electricity is expected to help relations between ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Burma. 85% of the hydro-electricity produced is expected to be transmitted to Thailand.
Design
The TaSang concrete-faced rockfill dam is designed to be 228 meters tall and house a hydro-power station with a 7,110 MW capacity to produce 35,446 GWh annually. TaSang’s 870 km² (335.9 sq mi) reservoirReservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
will cut the majority of Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
in half, preluding serious social and environmental problems.
Construction
Construction on the dam is being led by the Thai MDX Group along with the China Gezhouba Group Co., Sinohydro CorporationSinohydro Corporation
Sinohydro Corporation is a Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company. It is the world's largest hydroelectric company...
, China Southern Power Grid Company, China Three Gorges Project Corporation and the British Malcolm Dunstan & Associates. The groundbreaking ceremony for the dam was in March 2007, but since the ceremony, actual construction of the dam has been stalled, and there has been little activity at the dam-site.
Social Impact
Since 1996, as many as 300,000 villagers, mostly Shan people have been displaced to make room for the TaSang Dam’s reservoir. Thousands more relocations are expected as construction progresses. The dam’s reservoir will dissect Shan StateShan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
in half –almost to the Chinese border – and will negatively impact the local communities and ecosystems. Burma’s Junta
State Peace and Development Council
The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
is responsible for the relocations and there have reports of serious human rights violations including executions.