A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Kankal, Murat; Nacar, Sinan; Uzlu, Ergun Article Status of hydropower and water resources in the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) of Turkey Energy Reports Provided in Cooperation with: Elsevier Suggested Citation: Kankal, Murat; Nacar, Sinan; Uzlu, Ergun (2016) : Status of hydropower and water resources in the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) of Turkey, Energy Reports, ISSN 2352-4847, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Vol. 2, pp. 123-128, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2016.05.003 This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/187851 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. 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The Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, located in the GAP, have the largest flow volume of 16.9% and Received in revised form 11.4% of Turkey's average annually runoff (186 billion m3), respectively. While the Euphrates represents 8 May 2016 over 19.4% of the national gross hydropower potential (433 GWh/year), the Tigris correspond to 11.2% of Accepted 12 May 2016 this potential. 20,523 GWh/year of hydropower potential in the GAP is in operation. When all projects of Available online 1 June 2016 the GAP in planning are completed, the total hydropower potential reaches a level of 27,419 GWh/year. This value corresponds to 10.9% of the annual electric energy production of Turkey in 2014 (251.96 GWh). Keywords: Euphrates–Tigris Basin There is also irrigable land of 1.06 million ha in the GAP, and now roughly 33.7%, 357,241 ha, of which Hydropower have been irrigated. Irrigation ' 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Southern Anatolia Project This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 1. Introduction energy resources (coal, petroleum and natural gas) on one hand results in serious environmental pollution problems, and on the Even though water being a renewable natural resource is other hand faces with the danger of exhaustion. In order to have regarded among the non-consumable natural resources on a global a sustainable development in Turkey, it must be enhanced the scale, it is consumable resource on a local scale in terms of being efficiency of the conventional energy generation and increased the usable. Water constitutes approximately one-eight hundredth of proportion of renewable energy sources in the total energy budget the Earth's weight and covers 71% of the Earth's surface, however, (Akpinar et al., 2008). the usable amount of fresh water being vital for human and The demand for energy and particularly for electricity is grow- plant life is very limited. Moreover, distribution of fresh water ing rapidly in Turkey in parallel to the social and economic devel- resources is also not well-balanced depending upon geographical opment of the country. The main indigenous energy resources are and climatological conditions. Fresh water resources have could limited to hydro, mainly in the eastern part of the country, and lig- not meet the demand for the water as a result of the rapid increase nite to a great extent as there are no big oil and gas reserves in in the world population in company with the rapid increase in Turkey. All of crude oil, natural gas and high quality coal have been demand for the water as well as excessive pollution. Together with almost imported. It has a large potential for renewable energies the regional variability and quality differences related to the fresh (Yuksek et al., 2006). Turkey's energy demand is met through ther- water resources in addition to all these, transnational and inland mal power plant consuming coal, gas, fuel oil and geothermal en- problems have seriously arisen as regards to the usage of this vital ergy, wind energy and hydropower. Because Turkey does not own resource (Sen et al., 2002). any nuclear power plant yet, the installation of first nuclear power The effects on global and environmental air quality of pollutants plant with a capacity of 1000 MW is on the schedule as a plan of released into the atmosphere from fossil fuels in power plants the near future (Yuksel, 2015). provide strong arguments for the development of renewable The Euphrates and Tigris, located in the GAP, are the two energy resources. Clean, domestic and renewable energy is principal branches of the transboundary river basin, joining each commonly accepted as the key for future life, not only for Turkey other 70 km north of Bassorah in Iraq, to form the Shatt-al-arab, but also for the world. The consumption of conventional fossil and discharging 100 km thereafter into the Gulf. The total water potential of the Euphrates subbasin is 37 km3=y; Turkey provides 32 km3=y, i.e., about 85% of this potential from less than 30% of ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 462 377 2632; fax: +90 462 377 2606. the total drainage area. The total water potential of the Tigris 3 3 E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] (M. Kankal). subbasin is 57 km =y; Turkey provides 24 km =y, i.e., about 40% http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2016.05.003 2352-4847/' 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4. 0/). 124 M. Kankal et al. / Energy Reports 2 (2016) 123–128 of this potential from less than 25% of the total drainage area. objectives. It was thus understood that construction of energy Hence, Turkey provides about 60% of the total water potential of and irrigation infrastructure, past and future, would contribute to Euphrates–Tigris basin from 25% of the entire drainage area Water economic growth, social development and environmental change. scarcity in the Middle-East in general, water allocation claims All these changes would, in turn, have discernible impacts on of the riparian states in particular, enhanced by international different parts of the region and would need to be managed with geopolitical and energy issues from states and organizations a view to achieving the sustainability of the GAP Project and outside the region, make the Euphrates–Tigris basin one of the improving the quality of life for the local population (Altinbilek and foremost conflict focus of the world (Öziş and Özdemir, 2009). Tortajada, 2012). The number of the multinational river basins being transbound- ary and/or boundary on the Earth is over 200, and these basins 3.1. Historical development of the GAP comprise almost 50% of the Earth's land. Serious problems can be arisen among the countries as for benefiting from these waters (Sen The investigations commenced in the Euphrates River in 1936 et al., 2002). Ever-increasing demand for the water in addition to by directives of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkish the differences related to regional and climatological conditions in Republic. Keban and Kemaliye flow monitoring stations on the the water variability have raised the importance of transboundary Euphrates River and Diyarbakır flow monitoring station on the waters further. Tigris River were established in 1935 and 1936, respectively, The aim of the current study is to evaluate the historical by the EİE, General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources development of the project, the water resources and hydropower Survey and Development Administration, founded in 1935 and status of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP). The importance flow monitoring data was began to collect for making use of in the of water and development is presented in Section2. In Section3, coming years. As result of crash survey studies together with the the development of water resources in the GAP is analyzed and foundation of the General Directorate State Hydraulics Works in finally, the conclusions are presented in Section4. 1954, ``Basin Preliminary Survey Reports'' involving whole basin were prepared as from major basins. 2. Water and development Keban Dam, founded in 1966 and put into service in 1974, was one of the most important plants by generating hydroelectric Today, around 3800 km3 of fresh water is withdrawn annually energy of 6 TWh/yr with an installed capacity of 1330 MW. The from the world's lakes, rivers and aquifers.