Hydroelectricity in Turkey

Hydroelectricity is a critical source of energy in Turkey and substantial amounts of it can be generated due to Turkey's mountainous landscape, abundance of rivers, and its position surrounded by three seas. According to the International Hydropower Association Turkey is the world’s ninth largest producer of hydroelectricity in 2020. The main river basins are the Euphrates (Turkish: Fırat) and the Tigris (Turkish: Dicle) rivers. Many dams have been built throughout the country, and a peak of 28GW of power can be generated by hydroelectric plants[1] with 3% of world capacity and almost 90 TWh generated in 2019 around 30% of the country's electricity.[2] Generation varies by year depending on hydrological conditions. There are many policies that support the usage of hydroelectric energy. A number of dams built are subject to controversy as they have had many negative effects on the environment and the wildlife.[3]

Atatürk Dam is the largest of the 22 dams in the Southeastern Anatolia Project. The program includes 22 dams, 19 hydraulic power plants, and the irrigation of 1.82 million hectares of land. The total cost of the project is estimated at $32 billion.

History
Keban Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates, located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. The dam was the first and uppermost of several large-scale dams to be built on the Euphrates by Turkey.

The first hydroelectric plant in Turkey was constructed in Tarsus, Istanbul in 1911 and opened in 1914 as a result of the Balkan Wars. This plant only produced 60 kW, but nonetheless it alone was able to provide power to all of Istanbul for almost 40 years.[4]

Over the years, more and more hydroelectric projects were constructed, such as the Seyhan Dam, the Sarıyar Dam, the Hirfanlı Dam, the Kesikköprü Dam, the Demirköprü Dam, and the Kemer Dam.

After the State Hydraulic Works (DSI) was established in 1954, projects were better funded and the hydroelectric power produced per year greatly increased.[5]

Projects

The most recent project in Turkey is the GAP (short for Southeastern Anatolia Project, Turkish: Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi), the GAP was planned by the DSI, and includes the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants, the cost of which is 100 billion lira (US$32 billion, 2017 adjusted price). Most of the project has been completed, with some dams and hydroelectric power plants still under construction. Theoretically, 27 billion kWh/year will be generated from the project.

Impacts on people and the environment

There have been both positive and negative environmental effects caused by the dams and hydroelectric power plants. One of the positive effects of hydroelectric power plants has been the decrease of carbon emissions, as the production of hydroelectric energy does not emit any byproduct. Compared to thermal energy, hydroelectric energy is much more environmentally friendly because of emissions. Another positive impact has been the decrease of the importation of energy, since Turkey imports around 90% of its energy.[6]

On the other hand, the hydroelectric power plants have had a negative impact on the local fauna. A large amount of fish are killed in hydroelectric power plants because there are no fish passages, which can be improved. Nevertheless, some species have already gone extinct.

Another issue is salinity of the water. The salinity of the water can cause negative effects on water quality, soil erosion, and plant growth. The salinity caused by dams has decreased the agricultural activity near dams and hydroelectric power plants as well. There has also been a great issue with increased bedrock exposure and erosion.

These projects have also caused an issue of land acquisition and resettlement of people. The Atatürk and Karakaya project of the GAP caused the displacement of 100,000 people. Hundreds of villages have been affected by projects in Turkey to build dams and hydroelectric power plants. Some locals were given land as reparations. On the other hand, some people were admitted back to their own properties after the construction of the dams or power plants, if feasible.[7] However, it cannot be denied that there has been disregard to ancient settlements, such of Assyrian, Greek, Armenian, and many more civilizations, such as the destruction of Hasankeyf.[8]

Hydroelectric potential

Hydroelectric power is one of the most common sources of renewable energy in the world and it plays a vital role in Turkey's energy production as well. The theoretical viable hydroelectric potential of the country has been estimated at 433 TWh/year, nearly 1% of the total hydropower potential of the world,[9] and the hydroelectric technical potential of Turkey is 58 TWh/year, also around 1% of the hydroelectric energy produced in the world.[10] Due to changes in rainfall generation varies considerably from year to year, for example drought in 2020 caused a generation drop of over 10% compared to the previous year.[11]

Energy storage

It might be that in coming years the pumped storage power plant market will also grow or start in Turkey[12] as this could store energy produced by wind and solar power plants. Converting existing dams to pumped storage has been suggested as more feasible than new pumped storage.[13]

International rivers

Dams on international rivers, such as the Ilisu Dam, can cause water shortages in downstream countries.[14]

Statistics

In 2015, the total installed capacity of hydropower in Turkey was 25868 MW, and total generated energy in 2015 from hydropower was 66903.2 GWh.[9]

Hydropower net electricity generation (TeraJoule) 2006-2015
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
[15]

Largest stations
Main article: List of hydroelectric power stations in Turkey
NamePower Output in Megawatt
Atatürk Dam2400 MW
Karakaya Dam1800 MW
Keban Dam1330 MW
Ilisu Dam1200 MW

See also

References
  1. "Hydraulics". Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (Turkey). Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. Renewables 2020 Global Status Report. REN21 (Report). p. 98. ISBN 978-3-948393-00-7.
  3. "Government to ease hydro plant construction for firms". Hurriyet.
  4. tarikkavaz.com, Tarık Kavaz -. "Silahtarağa Elektrik Santralı'nın Hikayesi". www.santralistanbul.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  5. Dursun, Bahtiyar; Gokcol, Cihan (2011). "The role of hydroelectric power and contribution of small hydropower plants for sustainable development in Turkey". Renewable Energy. 36 (4): 1227–1235. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2010.10.001.
  6. "Turkey - International - Analysis - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  7. Berkun, Mehmet (2010). "Hydroelectric potential and environmental effects of multidam hydropower projects in Turkey". Energy for Sustainable Development. 14 (4): 320–329. doi:10.1016/j.esd.2010.09.003.
  8. "Turkish dam project would wipe out ancient town". Al-Monitor. 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  9. DAWOOD, KAMRAN (2016). "Hybrid wind-solar reliable solution for Turkey to meet electric demand". Balkan Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 4 (2): 62–66. doi:10.17694/bajece.06954.
  10. "Turkey: Renewables and Waste for 2012". www.iea.org. International Energy Agency. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  11. "Hydro plants' electricity generation down 12 pct". Hürriyet Daily News. 2021-01-06.
  12. "Reaching for Turkey's Hydropower Summit". Hydroworld. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  13. Barbaros, Efe; Aydin, Ismail; Celebioglu, Kutay (2021-02-01). "Feasibility of pumped storage hydropower with existing pricing policy in Turkey". Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 136: 110449. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2020.110449. ISSN 1364-0321.
  14. "Turkey's Dam-Building Spree Continues, At Steep Ecological Cost". Yale E360. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  15. "Supply, transformation and consumption of renewable energies - annual data (choose Hydro and TeraJoule)". EuroStat. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
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