The Birecik Dam, one of the 21 dams of the
Southeastern Anatolia Project of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, is located on the
Euphrates River
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
downstream of
Atatürk Dam
The Atatürk Dam ( tr, Atatürk Barajı), originally the Karababa Dam, is the third largest dam in the world and it is a zoned rock-fill dam with a central core on the Euphrates River on the border of Adıyaman Province and Şanlıurfa Province ...
and upstream of
Birecik
Birecik; ku, Bêrecûk is a town and district of Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey, on the Euphrates.
Built on a limestone cliff 400 ft. high on the left/east bank of the Euphrates, "at the upper part of a reach of that river, which runs near ...
town west of
Province of Şanlıurfa in the
southeastern region of Turkey. It was purposed for
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
and
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
production. There is a
run-of-the-river
Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power
Power most often refers to:
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events
** Abusive power
Power may a ...
plant, established in 2001, at the
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
, with a power output of 672MW (six facilities at 112
MW each) can generate an average of 2.5 billion
kWh per year. The Birecik dam is a structure consisting of a
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
gravity and clay core sandgravel fill with a height of from the foundation. It was designed by
Coyne et Bellier
Coyne et Bellier is a global consulting and engineering firm based out of Gennevilliers, France. They specialize in infrastructure projects such as dams, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants, roads, tunnels and other below-surface facilities. The ...
. The total catchment area is . The Birecik project will be realized under the status of Build-Operate-Transfer (
BOT) model.
The dam was built on top of the ruins of the ancient city of
Zeugma. According to Bogumil Terminski (2015), the construction of the dam resulted in resettlement of approximately 6,000 people.
[Bogumil Terminski, ''Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Causes, Consequences, and Socio-Legal Context'', Ibidem Press, Stuttgart, 2015.]
See also
*
List of power stations in Turkey
The most important power stations in Turkey are listed here. Turkey generates about 300 TWh of electricity per year.
High Carbon Emissions
Coal
All operational coal-fired power stations over 50MW are listed below.
Five plants were shut down ...
References
External links
United Nations Southeast Anatolia Sustainable Human Development Program (GAP)
Official GAP web site
{{Power stations in Turkey
Dams completed in 2000
Energy infrastructure completed in 2001
Dams in Gaziantep Province
Hydroelectric power stations in Turkey
Southeastern Anatolia Project
Run-of-the-river power stations
Dams on the Euphrates River
Dams in Şanlıurfa Province
Crossings of the Euphrates