Türkiye Breaks Ground on Ilisu Dam, Future Second-Largest Reservoir in the Country

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Plant on the Dicle River in August 2006, calling the project vital to national development. He noted that domestic energy use had risen to 50 percent of the national mix since his government took office, reducing dependence on imported sources.

When finished, Ilisu will rank as Türkiye's second-largest dam by reservoir capacity, holding up to 11 billion cubic meters of water. Its hydroelectric facility will be the country's fourth largest, trailing only the Ataturk, Keban, and Karakaya plants. The project is sited in the southeastern province of Sirnak, roughly 45 kilometers from the Syrian border, and is expected to be complete by 2013, employing close to 7,000 construction workers.

The reservoir will flood the ancient city of Hasankeyf along with 199 other historical sites across the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir, Mardin, Siirt, and Batman. Preservation advocates say efforts to protect Hasankeyf are actively underway. Guler also indicated that the Afsin Elbistan C-D energy projects would be advanced in the near future.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.