Kediran dam edifice of al-Raqqa city's edifices

HAMID AL-ALI / AL-RAQQA

The Kediran Dam is located in al-Raqqa on the Euphrates River, its height is 14 meters and the width of the dam is 60 meters. It opened in 1986, is about 20 kilometers from the city of al-Raqqa and 27 kilometers from the Euphrates Dam.

The initial investigation of the site of the dam and the electric station began in 1979. The General Company for Land Reclamation started in 1981 with the work of the earthworks and the implementation of the civil works, in parallel with the installation of equipment of the hydroelectric station by Russian companies.

The first group was operated in June 1987 and the second group in March 1988. The third and final group was operated in December 1988, when all the works at the dam and its hydroelectric station were completed.

The total length of the dam is 3069 meters, the earthworks are 6 million cubic meters. The maximum level is dam 256. The concrete works are 183.1 thousand cubic meters. The water stored between the Euphrates dam and al-Hurria dam (90 million cubic meters).

The dam consists of 3 horizontal groups, 25.2 MW, The total capacity of the three groups is 75.6 MW, one of which is now the first group is out of service due to breakdowns, and it needs Russian companies to repair and returning to work.

The dam is used in large agricultural projects in the area and the generation of electricity through hydroelectric plants. The completion of this dam has achieved many objectives, including regulating the flow of river water from the Euphrates hydroelectric dam and reducing the fluctuation of the water level in the river daily to (1.5) in the case of normal discharges as a maximum.

Enabling the Euphrates hydroelectric dam to operate in the peak system and improve its operation to achieve an increase in its useful capacity by (80) MW per hour. Utilizing the water stored in the lake to generate an average electricity of 375 million kilowatt per year.

Engineer and General Supervisor of the Dam Mohammed al-Khalif said: "The dam is the third largest dam in Syria, 23 km away from al-Raqqa city and the Euphrates dam 27 km between al-Raqqa and al-Tabqa and had been named an organizational designation for the purpose of its construction, which is the organization of the Euphrates River passing from the Euphrates Dam and reducing its pulse, and help the Euphrates dam to work at peak hours through electricity generation, in addition to irrigation of agricultural land.

Mohammed al-Khalif also pointed out that the generation station was cleaned of mines after the demolition of ISIS mercenaries by the end of June of 2017, in addition to the filling of the tunnels where there was in the dam two tunnels, the first tunnel linking the village of Kediran and the dam with a length of 3 km and a width of 1.5 meters, and the second tunnel is linking the dam and the lake and we worked to fill it completely.

He added "We brought local experts and engineers to lift the gates, which did not raise the three groups. We lifted the gates and dried the place of the groups to restart them shortly after the work was over four months.

"We are working 24 hours a day with the engineers and technicians working day and night, and this is our duty towards our people," he said.

H/S

ANHA