| Pantabangan Dam | |
| Location Map: | Philippines Nueva Ecija#Luzon mainland#Philippines |
| Location Map Caption: | Location in Nueva Ecija##Location in Luzon##Location in the Philippines |
| Coordinates: | 15.8144°N 121.1081°W |
| Construction Began: | June 1971 |
| Opening: | February 1977 |
| Cost: | $20.74 Million or 891.82 Million pesos (at current price) |
| Owner: | National Power Corporation National Irrigation Administration |
| Dam Type: | Embankment, earth-fill |
| Dam Height: | 1070NaN0 |
| Dam Length: | 16150NaN0 |
| Dam Width Crest: | 120NaN0 |
| Dam Width Base: | 5350NaN0 |
| Dam Volume: | 120000000NaN0 |
| Dam Elevation Crest: | 2320NaN0 |
| Dam Crosses: | Pampanga River |
| Spillway Count: | 3 x radial gates, 1 x overflow |
| Spillway Capacity: | 42000NaN0 |
| Res Name: | Pantabangan Lake |
| Res Capacity Total: | 29960000000NaN0 |
| Res Capacity Active: | 20830000000NaN0 |
| Res Catchment: | 8530NaN0 |
| Res Surface: | 69.620NaN0 (max) |
| Res Elevation: | 2300NaN0 (max) |
| Plant Commission: | 1974 |
| Plant Turbines: | 2 x 60 MW Francis-type |
| Plant Capacity: | 100 MW |
| Plant Capacity Factor: | 90% |
| Plant Annual Gen: | 232,000,000 kWh |
Pantabangan Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Pampanga River located in Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija province of the Philippines. The multi-purpose dam provides water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation while its reservoir, Pantabangan Lake, affords flood control. The reservoir is considered one of the largest in Southeast Asia and also one of the cleanest in the Philippines. Construction on the dam began in 1971 and it was completed in 1977.
Pantabangan was an old town of around 300 years old. In May 1969, the Congress of the Philippines authorized the development of the Pampanga Basin with Republic Act No. 5499. In October of that year, detailed studies of the Pantabangan site were carried out and the planning of the site lasted two years.[1] By June 11, 1971, President Ferdinand Marcos and many others arrived for a ground breaking ceremony of the dam site in Palayupay, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, to signal the beginning of the construction of the Dam.[2] The dam went into operation in February 1977 and its construction was completed later in May.[1] Approximately 1,300 people were relocated from the town and the dam's reservoir zone.[3]
Since the operations of the dam started in February 1977, the site of the old town of Pantabangan has become visible during times of extremely low water levels in the reservoir coinciding with the El Niño phenomenon, with recorded instances occurring in 1983, 2014, 2020 and 2024, sparking an influx of visitors to the site, particularly the cross of the Saint Andrew Church constructed in 1825.[4] A modern cross was erected to replace the old one during one of its reappearances.[5] The site, which also contains the ruins of the old public cemetery including headstones, foundations of the old municipal hall with its historical town marker, the town plaza and old tree trunks,[6] [7] has been designated as a cultural heritage zone by the municipal government.[8]
The dam is a 1070NaN0 tall and 16150NaN0 long embankment-type with 120000000NaN0 of homogeneous earth-fill and an impervious core. The crest of the dam is 120NaN0 wide while the widest part of its base is 5350NaN0. The dam's crest sits at an elevation of 2320NaN0 and is composed of three sections: the main dam, a saddle dam, and an auxiliary dam located with the spillway. The spillway is a chute-type controlled by three radial gates but equipped with an overflow section as well. The design discharge of the spillway is 42000NaN0. The dam's reservoir has a gross capacity of 29960000000NaN0 and 20830000000NaN0 of that volume is active (or useful) for irrigation and power. The dam sits at the head of a 8530NaN0 catchment area known as the Pantabangan–Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve and its reservoir has a surface area of 69.620NaN0 and elevation of 2300NaN0 when at its maximum level. The reservoir's life is estimated at 107 years due to silt from denudation.[1] The dam was designed to withstand an intensity 8 earthquake.[9]
The power house is located at the base of the main dam and contains two 60 MW Francis turbine-generators for an installed capacity of 120 MW. Each turbine receives water via a 60NaN0 diameter penstock. When the water is discharged, it is released into a 2500NaN0 long tailrace channel where it re-enters the river.[1]
In 2024, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources unveiled its strategic 2023 to 2028 plan of Pantabangan Aquaculture Park Project expansion by creating more fish cages made of petroleum-based High-density polyethylene in the Pantabangan reservoir for tilapia grow-out culture. “Anticipated to amplify local fish production, the Pantabangan Aquaculture Park is poised to benefit not only the province but the entire Central Luzon region,” BFAR regional director Wilfredo Cruz said.[10]