World's third-hishest Dam to be constructed in Artvin

Yusufeli Dam, to be built in the northeastern province of Artvin, will be Turkey's highest and the world's third-highest dam upon completion, General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) General Manager Akif Ozkaldi said yesterday at the signing ceremony for the dam and hydroelectricity project. During the ceremony, Ozkaldi said Turkey's need for energy is increasing every day and hydroelectricity is a considerable source of energy among cheap, clean and renewable energy sources. Ozkaldi also said Yusufeli Dam will produce an annual 817 billion kilowatt-hours of energy, and its total storage capacity will be 2.2 billion cubic meters, equal to the amount of water consumed every six years in Ankara. The Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroglu, who was also present at the ceremony, said Yusufeli Dam would be made completely with domestic resources by domestic engineers and contractors. The environment will be protected during the construction of the dam, he said. "I believe that our contractors will be global leaders in a short time. We will provide every kind of support for that," Eroglu said. He also said the current account deficit is mainly caused by energy imports, adding that using domestic and cheap energy sources and providing energy diversity and safety in Turkey were necessary. Eroglu said Turkey had 216 billion kilowatt-hours of usable hydroelectricity potential, while only 165 billion of it is being utilized.