Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched the first tribune of a large dam in Turkey’s southeast which will generate 4120 GWh energy enough to supply 6 million people when all 6 tribunes kicked off by the end of the year.
Energy-stricken Turkey has been heavily investing in energy sector and aggressively trying to diversify its supply for the past couple of decades. Latest one of those steps is Turkey’s 4th biggest hydroelectric plant on Tigres river in the southeastern Turkey by the Iraqi border. Its construction starting in 2008, Ilisu dam is one of the 22 dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project launched by Turkey’s late president Turgut Ozal during 80s and aims flood control and water storage as well as generating much needed electricity.
Erdogan today opened the first tribune of the Ilisu dam which has 10 billion m3 reservoir capacity. The dam has six tribunes and all of them will be generating electricity by the end of 2020. When in full capacity, the dam will generate 4120GWh energy which will save Turkey around $500 million annually. Turkish economy’s biggest problem has been its large current account deficit which is mainly caused by energy imports.
As of 2019, Turkey generated 31,4 percent of its energy from hydroelectric plants while wind powers accounted for 8 percent and solar is 6 percent, according to statistics provided by Turkish Energy Ministry website.
