Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant

Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant; The Veysel Eroglu Ilisu Dam, commonly known as the Southeast Anatolia Project, is a power plant built on the Tigris River for energy production purposes.
Gap’s lifeblood, the Tigris – Euphrates Rivers, accounts for approximately 28.5% of Turkey’s water potential. The Ilisu Project is one of the main elements of GAP, one of the largest water projects in the world. Ilisu Dam; It will be built on the Tigris River in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, about 45 km from the Syrian border, and will produce an average of 3,833 GWh of energy per year with an installed power of 1,200 MW when completed. When the property is commissioned; it has been the 2nd largest dam in Turkey in terms of body volume (45 million m³) and the 4th largest dam in terms of installed power.
Energy production started in the first half of 2020. The cost of the 1,200 MW plant is 8.8 billion TL. With the completion of this project, gap’s energy potential will be greatly implemented, as well as new projects such as Cizre Dam and additional irrigation areas with these new projects.
The Ilisu Dam project is an important investment project within the 100-year vision of the Republic of Turkey. Thanks to the dam, Cizre Dam and HES Construction becomes possible. In this way, 66,000 hectares of agricultural land will be irrigated in modern conditions in the Cizre-Idil plain. 1.2 billion KWh of electricity will be generated annually from Cizre Dam and HES. It will contribute to the development of the entire Southeastern Anatolia Region, especially the provinces of Diyarbakir, Batman, Mardin, Siirt and Sirnak.