The Birecik Dam, one of the 21 dams of the
Southeastern Anatolia Project
The Southeastern Anatolia Project ( tr, Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi, GAP) is a multi-sector integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development for the 9 million people (2005) living in the Southeastern Anatoli ...
of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
, is located on the
Euphrates River
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...
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 crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
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 ...
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 an ...
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, with a power output of 672MW (six facilities at 112
MW each) can generate an average of 2.5 billion
kWh
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
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 wid ...
gravity and clay core sandgravel fill with a height of from the foundation. It was designed by
Coyne et Bellier. 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
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