Official name 明潭壩 Location Shuili, Nantou County Type of dam Concrete gravity Opened 1995 Construction began 1987 | Country Republic of China Opening date 1995 Impounds Shuili River Province Taiwan Province Impound Shuili River | |
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Address 553, Taiwan, Nantou County, Shuili Township, 131縣道魚池鄉交界處131線公路旁 Similar Checheng Station, Lalu Island, Sun Moon Lake National, Jiji Line, Xuanguang Temple | ||
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.
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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. During the 7.2-magnitude 921 earthquake in 1999, Mingtan was one of eight dams that sustained damage, but did not collapse.
Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant
The Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Taiwan. 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.
Transportation
The dam is accessible within walking distance North from Checheng Station of the Taiwan Railway Administration Jiji Line.