Song Tranh 2 hydropower project is located in Quang Nam province, Vietnam. The project has installed capacity of 190 MW and average yearly production of 679.6 GWh. The capacity of the reservoir is 730 million cubic meters. The dam is built with roller compacted concrete (RCC), has 640 m length and the maximum highest of 96 m.
The construction of the project was started in 2006 and was completed and commissioned in 19th December 2010. About a year after commissioning, the dam of the project experienced a serious leakage problem. In addition, series of earthquakes occurred within the project area, which continued for several months. The high intensity and magnitude of the earthquakes caused damages and a fearful life to the local people and the people living downstream valley. The issues brought media attention with thousands of article written within a short time, and not least, the authorities have been suffering extreme public pressure.
This paper describes the earthquake incidences and the chaotic situation during the earthquake, including media attention. In addition, the paper analyses earthquake events qualitatively based on the relevant available data of water filling height and recorded earthquakes). It is hoped that the analyses provide an insight into the incident, and the earthquake scenario can be reconstructed. Future earthquake activities are also predicted. It is highlighted that this paper is an updated version of a published article in the public media in Vietnam in October 2012.
