Black River (Asia)

Black River
Black River
	Vietnamese: sông Đà "Da river"; Chinese: 李仙江 lǐxiān jiāng "Fairy Li' river"
Location
Country	Vietnam; China
Physical characteristics
Length	910 km (570 mi)

The Black River, (Vietnamese: Sông Đà, from the Tai language Da meaning "dark-brown") also known upstream as the Lixian River (Chinese: 李仙江) in China,^[1] is a river located in China and northwestern Vietnam.

Course

Its source is in Yunnan province of China. From China, the river's course passes through the Vietnamese provinces of Lai Châu (where it forms part of the border with Điện Biên province), Sơn La and Hòa Bình.

The Black River is the most important tributary of the Red River, which it joins in Tam Nông district near Việt Trì in Phú Thọ province. It also forms part of the border between Phú Thọ province and Hanoi (previously the border with Hà Tây province).^[2]

The river's total length is 910 km, with approximately 427 km in China and 527 km in Vietnam.

Hydroelectric power

The Black River yields substantial hydroelectric power.

In China, seven dams are planned of which six, the Yayangshan Dam, Shimenkan Dam, Longma Dam, Jufudu Dam, Gelantan Dam, and Tukahe Dam, have been completed. The Xinpingzhai Dam is still in the planning stage.^[3]^[4]^[5] The total installed power capacity of this series of dams is approximately 1,300 megawatts.^[6]

In Vietnam, there are three large hydroelectric plants on the Black River. The Hòa Bình Dam was completed in 1994. The Sơn La Dam was completed in 2012 and became the largest hydroelectric producer in Southeast Asia. The Lai Châu Dam in the Mường Tè district of Lai Châu province was inaugurated on December 20, 2016.^[7] The total installed power capacity of these three dams is 5,520 megawatts.

References

^ National Geographic Atlas of China. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. 2007. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4262-0136-3.
^ World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia: Volume 6 - Page 724 Marshall Cavendish Corporation - 2007 "RED RIVER The Red River (Song Hong in Vietnamese) rises in southwestern China and flows 750 miles ( 1,200 km) to ... Two major tributaries join the Red River: the Clear River (Song Lo) on the left bank and the Black River (Song Da) on ..."
^ "Datang International Lixian Jiang, Yunnan Hydropower Development Co., Ltd" (in Chinese). China Datang Corp. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2011. "李仙江干流崖羊山、石门坎、新平寨、龙马、居甫渡、戈兰滩和土卡河七个梯级.."
^ "China generator advances three hydropower projects". Hydro World. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^ "Lixian Jiang Hydropower Development Company to achieve "five-second" grand opening". China Economic Herald (in Chinese). 8 November 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Yunnan Province to Construct a Series of Hydropower Projects". Alestron. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
^ "Inauguration of Lai Chau hydropower project". EVNICT. EVN. Retrieved 2018-05-04.