Deriner Dam: A Monumental Hydroelectric Power Project in Turkey
10/16/2009
Just over a year ago, the economies of most non oil-producing countries was seriously threatened by a sharp rise in oil prices. That, together with the threat of depleting oil resources, prompts many countries to look at alternative forms of energy. Some countries like Turkey and China are fortunate to have landscapes of tall mountains and swift rivers that allow them to tap into hydropower which requires construction of large dams, many reaching heights in excess of 200 meters.
ERG Construction and Trade Industry, Co., is the largest dam construction company in Turkey, having completed major projects in Turkey and the entire region. In addition, ERG also manufactures heavy construction equipment used at their project sites. Sani Erbilgin , an alumnus of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics (CEEM). has been involved in such projects not only by virtue of his technical interests, but also by family ties. The firm was founded and is operated by Sani's family.
For the past ten years, ERG has been building
the tallest dam in Turkey, a double arch
(arched horizontally and vertically) concrete dam (fourth tallest in the world). Deriner
Dam is located on the Coruh River in Artvin
Province, in northeastern of Turkey a short
distance from the Black Sea. Upon
completion, it will have a height of 249 meters from the foundation and at the crest it will
have a length of 720 meters and a width of 12
to18 meters. The dam will produce annually
2300 Gigawatts of electrical power energy.
The reservoir storage volume will be 1969 million cubic meters of water.
According to Sani Erbilgin, it is not simply the concrete dam itself that is challenging, but also construction of the water-tight foundation and keying into the cliffs on both ends of the dam. Equally impressive are the many roads, tunnels, bridges, and other infrastructure systems that are being built by ERG as part of the project. The massive construction visited by Professors Testa and Ling in August has been described by them as most impressive. The retaining walls along highways cut into the mountains at various elevations hundreds of meters above the valley floors resemble a modern version of the Great Wall, observed Professor Ling.
This most impressive project, which is likely to be completed by 2012, is indicative of the varied, interesting and challenging opportunities in a well established Engineering discipline. But in addition, with the high demand for such technology all over the world, questions that have arisen about associated environmental and societal aspects are brought to the fore in our educational programs.
For more details, visit the ERG Web site.