Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP)

The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) is an integrated project covering the development and services of dams, hydroelectric power plants and irrigation facilities on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, as well as urban and rural infrastructure, transport, industry, education, health, and other sectors.
The GAP Action Plan covering Mardin, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Adiyaman, Batman, Gaziantep, Kilis, Siirt, and Sirnak provinces envisaged the use of 26.7 billion TL for the period 2014-2018 and 17.1 billion TL was spent between 2014 and 2017. As a result of these investments, it is aimed that the amount of irrigated land that reached 425 thousand hectares in the region as of 2014 will reach 1.1 million hectares by the end of 2018, the end of the Action Plan period, and the unemployment rate in the region will be reduced to 10.3 percent in 2018 from 15.6 percent in 2014.
Physical realization has reached 97% in the construction of the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant (HES) Project, which is one of the most important projects of the Action Plan and has an installed capacity of 1,200 megawatts, which is the vision of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP). With the completion of Ilisu Dam and HES, the physical realization of GAP energy investments will increase to over 90% and the construction of the Cizre Dam will be possible. With the completion of the dam, it is aimed to produce an average of 4.12 billion kilowatt hours of energy annually, thus contributing 1.3 billion TL annually to the country’s economy from electricity generation alone and providing employment opportunities for 4,000 people. In 2018, 855 million TL was allocated for the project. The project is expected to be completed by 2019.
Another of the most important projects within the scope of GAP Action Plan is Silvan Dam Project, which aims to dilate 235 thousand hectares in the region. With the completion of the project, it is aimed to provide 300,000 jobs in the region and to contribute 1.2 billion TL directly to the country’s economy annually. More than 1 billion TL has been spent on the project so far, and 406 million TL has been allocated for 2018. Currently, the physical realization of Silvan Dam Construction is 48% as of 2018. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.