The dam was opened in 1964 and is owned and operated by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
As of 2000, large-scale hydropower generation in Thailand had reached almost 3 gigawatts (GW), and development has since slowed as concerns were raised on environmental impacts of large hydropower plants.
[1] Generation from small-scale hydropower is rising at a modest rate.
[1] Thailand also imports electricity produced by hydroelectric power stations in other countries.
[2][3] To complement Thailand's hydropower plants, EGAT plans to build floating solar-hydro projects on eight reservoir dams around the country, with a total planned capacity of 1 GW.