Birecik Dam

Birecik Dam
Birecik Dam is located in Turkey
Birecik Dam
Location of Birecik Dam in Turkey
LocationTurkey
Coordinates37°03′12″N 37°53′24″E / 37.05333°N 37.89000°E / 37.05333; 37.89000
Opening date2000
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity dam
ImpoundsEuphrates River
Height62.5 m (205 ft)
Reservoir
CreatesReservoir
Catchment area92,700 ha (358 sq mi)
Power Station
Commission date2000-2001
Turbines6 × 112 MW
Installed capacity672 MW
Annual generation2,500 GWh

The Birecik Dam, one of the 21 dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project of Turkey, is located on the Euphrates River 60 km (37 mi) downstream of Atatürk Dam and 8 km (5.0 mi) upstream of Birecik town 80 km (50 mi) west of Province of Şanlıurfa in the southeastern region of Turkey. It was purposed for irrigation and energy production. There is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plant, established in 2001, at the dam, with a power output of 672MW (six units at 112 MW each) can generate an average of 2.5 billion kWh per year.[1] The Birecik dam is a structure consisting of a concrete gravity and clay core sandgravel fill with a height of 62.5 m (205 ft) from the foundation. It was designed by Coyne et Bellier. The total catchment area is 92,700 ha (358 sq mi).[2] 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.[3]

  1. ^ "The design & the management of the hydro power plant birecik". Verbundplanbirecik. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  2. ^ State Hydraulic Works (DSİ), Turkey. "General information on Birecik Dam, Turkey". Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ^ Bogumil Terminski, Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Causes, Consequences, and Socio-Legal Context, Ibidem Press, Stuttgart, 2015.