ABSTRACT
There are more than 4,000 dams in Thailand but only a few dams are Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dams because the cost of RCC dam is generally higher than the rockfill dam and the earthfill dam. The first RCC dam in Thailand is Pak Mun dam which belongs to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). It was constructed in 1994 as a pilot RCC dam for hydropower project in the northeastern region. The dam height is about 26 m and the RCC volume is only 48,000 m3. The second RCC dam is Mae Suai dam, which belongs to the Royal Irrigation Department (RID). It was constructed during 2000 and 2002 for irrigation in Chiang Rai province in the northern region. The third RCC dam is Khlong Tha Dan dam, which is under construction for irrigation and flood control and will be completed in 2004. The dam height is 93 m and the total RCC volume is 5.47 million m3. It is the largest RCC dam in the world. Khlong Ma Dua dam with the height of 92 m is also under the design stage for irrigation and flood control. The development of RCC dam in Thailand is not only the dam height but also the construction method and mix design. There is an RCC dam planned to be constructed for hydropower project on the Salawin river which is the border between Thailand and Myanmar. If it can be developed, it will be not only the biggest hydropower project but also one of the high RCC dam in Southeast Asia.
