Silvan Dam is an embankment concrete-face rock-fill currently under construction on the Batman River in the district of Silvan, Diyarbakır Province in southeastern Turkey. It is part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project and located upstream of the Batman Dam. Construction began on 26 July 2011. The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and irrigation. It is designed to irrigate an area of 245,000 ha (610,000 acres). The power station will have an installed capacity of 160 MW.[1][2]

Silvan Dam
Silvan Dam is located in Turkey
Silvan Dam
Location of Silvan Dam in Turkey
Official nameSilvan Barajı
LocationSilvan, Turkey
Coordinates38°17′38″N 41°01′18″E / 38.29389°N 41.02167°E / 38.29389; 41.02167
PurposeIrrigation, power
StatusUnder construction
Construction began2011
Owner(s)State Hydraulic Works
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, concrete-face rock-fill
ImpoundsBatman River
Height174.5 m (573 ft)
Length440 m (1,444 ft)
Dam volume8,500,000 m3 (6,891 acre⋅ft)
Reservoir
CreatesSilvan Reservoir
Total capacity7,300,000,000 m3 (5,900,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface area178 square kilometres (69 sq mi)
Power Station
Commission date2022[citation needed]
Turbines4 x 40 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity160 MW

In 2014, the dam, as well as other in southeast Turkey such as the Ilisu Dam, became a prime target of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants after peace talks collapsed with the government. Attacks on the dam, supporting structures and workers are part of the PKK's efforts to stop construction. These attacks delayed construction by 2 years.[3]

The construction of the Silvan Tunnel which brings the water from the dam to the surrounding plains started in June 2019.[4] The dam body was completed in January 2021 and some sources say the entire project was completed in the end of 2022.[5][6][7] As of 2024 other sources say it is still under construction.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ "Initiated the construction of the dam is SİLVAN" (in Turkish). GAP. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Silvan Dam Due Date Moved Up" (in Turkish). Ilke Haber Ajansi. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Turkey's Biggest Dam Project Victim of Faltering Peace". Bloomberg Business. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Yapımı 1 milyar 200 milyon liraya mal olacak olan Silvan Tüneli'nin yapımına başlandı". haberler.com (in Turkish). 10 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Silvan Barajı teröre inat yükseliyor!". hilal Haber (in Turkish). 28 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Physical realization of Diyarbakır's 'crazy project' reached 73 percent" (in Turkish). TRT Haber. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Turkish president inaugurates 34 hydroelectric power plants". Hydro Review. 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  8. ^ Merkezi, Haber (2024-01-29). "Silvan Barajı Yapımı Sürüyor: "Hasankeyf'teki gibi Ortak Hafıza Yok Edilecek"". İklim Haber (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  9. ^ medya, eylul (2024-02-02). "Historic Kurdish valley threatened by dam construction in Turkey". Medya News. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
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