Boyabat Dam

Boyabat Dam
Location of Boyabat Dam in Turkey
Country	Turkey
Location	Boyabat, Sinop and Samsun Provinces
Coordinates	41°20′18.96″N 35°00′7.18″E / 41.3386000°N 35.0019944°E / 41.3386000; 35.0019944
Status	Operational
Construction began	2008
Opening date	2012
Construction cost	US$1.2 billion
Owner(s)	Boyabat Elektrik
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Concrete gravity
Impounds	Kızılırmak River
Height	195 m (640 ft)
Length	262 m (860 ft)
Width (crest)	10 m (33 ft)
Dam volume	2,300,000 m3 (3,008,286 cu yd)
Spillway type	Gated weir
Spillway capacity	8,250 m3/s (291,346 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Total capacity	3,557,000,000 m3 (2,883,707 acre⋅ft)
Active capacity	1,410,000,000 m3 (1,143,106 acre⋅ft)
Inactive capacity	2,147,000,000 m3 (1,740,601 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area	64,724 km2 (24,990 sq mi)
Surface area	65.4 km2 (25 sq mi)
Maximum length	60 km (37 mi)
Power Station
Commission date	2012
Type	Conventional
Hydraulic head	141.3 m (464 ft) (max)
Turbines	3 x 171 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	513 MW
Annual generation	1,500 GWh[1]
Website http://www.boyabatelektrik.com.tr/ (Turkish)

The Boyabat Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Kızılırmak River bordering Sinop and Samsun Provinces, Turkey. It is 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Durağan and 24 km (15 mi) southeast of Boyabat. Construction began in 2008 and the dam and power plant were completed in December 2012. Its primary purpose is to generate hydroelectric power. The dam's power plant has an installed capacity of 513 MW.

Plans for the dam first began in 1958 when the Electrical Works Survey Administration studied the river for hydropower potential. By 1979, Turkey's State Hydraulic Works (DSI) and Japan's Electric Power Development Company completed feasibility studies. A final study and proposal was completed soon after. In 1986, DSI began preliminary works which included access roads and the diversion tunnels. Doğuş Holding was awarded the dam's tender on 18 September 1995. They signed a concession with Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources on 22 October 1998. However, a license to operate the power plant was not awarded until 14 November 2007.^[2] Five Turkish banks had to fund US$750 million of the dam's US$1.2 billion price tag. The consortium owning the dam became Boyabat Elektrik.^[3] Construction on the dam began in April 2008, was delayed and restarted January 2012.^[4] The dam and power plant were accepted on 3 December 2012, and inaugurated nine days later.^[5][6]

Built in a steep gorge of the Ilgaz mountains, the concrete gravity dam is 195 m (640 ft) tall and 262 m (860 ft) long. Its crest is 10 m (33 ft) wide and the body of the dam has a volume of 2,300,000 m³ (3,008,286 cu yd). The reservoir created by the dam covers an area of 65.4 km² (25 sq mi) and is 60 km (37 mi) long. It stores up to 3,557,000,000 m³ (2,883,707 acre⋅ft) of water, 1,410,000,000 m³ (1,143,106 acre⋅ft) of which can be used for power generation. A catchment area of 64,724 km² (24,990 sq mi) drains run-off into the reservoir. The dam passes flood waters with a gated weir spillway that is located on its crest. The spillway is controlled by six radial gates that pass water into six chutes. The chutes combine into three and flip buckets at their base dissipate energy. The spillway can discharge up to 8,250 m³/s (291,346 cu ft/s) of water. The dam's power station is embedded in its body at the base and contains three 171 MW Francis turbine-generators. The maximum hydraulic head is 141.3 m (464 ft).^[7]

The dam lake that reaches 60 km up-river and covers an area of 65,4 km² changed the lives of 16.593 people living there. The new year 2012-1013 when the dam started collecting water 8 villages were inundated completely and 28 villages partly. Agricultural fields (2.840 in number, and 28.400.000 m² in area), buildings (3.145 in number) were lost to the waters. A total area of 72.180.000 m² was expropriated for 879.970.000 TRL. 1.435 of the residents had applied for relocation, of these 75% wished agricultural setting, 25% wished urban setting. The list of villages affected were as follows: Those administratively under Sinop's Saraydüzü : Yaylacılı, Fakılı, Akbelen, Hacıçay, Yalmansaray, Those administratively under Samsun's Vezirköprü: Susuz, Darıçay, Aşağı Darıçay, Kızılkese, Alanköy, Those administratively under Çorum's Osmancık : Aydın, Aşağı Zeytin, Yukarı Zeytin, Pelitçik, Aşıkbükü, Kalimavlağı, Those administratively under Çorum's Kargı : Avşar, Bağözü, Örencik, Saraycık, Sinanözü, Karaboya, Maksutlu, Köprübaşı, Demirören, Karapürçek, Gökçedoğan, and Karacaoğlan.^[8]

The 513 MW installed power capacity on the dam was 9% of the total Turkish electric power generation capacity of 56.759 MW.^[9] The investment was expected to generate 1 500 *106kWh per year worth 150 million TRL, a small but welcome correction to the 70% energy trade deficit of the country.^[10] The 4 year construction period was also a temporary boon to the local economy.

• List of dams and reservoirs in Turkey