Silvan Dam

Silvan Dam is an embankment concrete-face rock-fill currently under construction on the Batman River in the district of Silvan, Diyarbakır Province in southeastern Turkey. It is part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project and located upstream of the Batman Dam. Construction began on 26 July 2011 and is expected to be complete in 2022. The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and irrigation. It is designed to irrigate an area of 245,000 ha (610,000 acres). The power station will have an installed capacity of 160 MW.[1][2]

Silvan Dam
Location of Silvan Dam in Turkey
Official name	Silvan Barajı
Location	Silvan, Turkey
Coordinates	38°17′28.47″N 41°01′24.84″E
Purpose	Irrigation, power
Status	Under construction
Construction began	2011
Opening date	2022
Owner(s)	State Hydraulic Works
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment, concrete-face rock-fill
Impounds	Batman River
Height	174.5 m (573 ft)
Length	440 m (1,444 ft)
Dam volume	8,500,000 m3 (6,891 acre⋅ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Silvan Reservoir
Total capacity	7,300,000,000 m3 (5,900,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface area	178 square kilometres (69 sq mi)
Power Station
Commission date	2022
Turbines	4 x 40 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	160 MW

In 2014, the dam, as well as other in southeast Turkey such as the Ilisu Dam, became a prime target of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants after peace talks collapsed with the government. Attacks on the dam, supporting structures and workers are part of the PKK's efforts to stop construction. These attacks delayed construction by 2 years.[3]

The construction of the Silvan Tunnel which brings the water from the dam to the surrounding plains started in June 2019.[4] The dam body was completed in January 2021 and the entire project was completed in the end of 2022.[5][6][7]