Aswan Dam
| Aswan High Dam | |
|---|---|
The Aswan High Dam as seen from space | |
Location of the Aswan Dam in Egypt | |
| Official name | Aswan High Dam |
| Location | Aswan, Egypt |
| Coordinates | 23°58′14″N 32°52′40″E / 23.97056°N 32.87778°E |
| Construction began | 1960 |
| Opening date | 1970 |
| Owner(s) | Egypt |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Impounds | River Nile |
| Height | 111 m (364 ft) |
| Length | 3,830 m (12,570 ft) |
| Width (base) | 980 m (3,220 ft) |
| Spillway capacity | 11,000 m3/s (390,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Nasser |
| Total capacity | 132 km3 (107,000,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface area | 5,250 km2 (2,030 sq mi) |
| Maximum length | 550 km (340 mi) |
| Maximum width | 35 km (22 mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 130 m (430 ft) |
| Normal elevation | 183 m (600 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Commission date | 1967–1971 |
| Turbines | 12×175 MW (235,000 hp) Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 2,100 MW (2,800,000 hp) |
| Capacity factor | 54.6% |
| Annual generation | 10,042 GWh (2004)[1] |
The Aswan Dam, or Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built between 1960 and 1970 across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. The project was developed by the military regime that took power following the 1952 Egyptian revolution, to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity, the dam was seen as pivotal to the country's industrialization plans. Like the earlier implementation, the High Dam has had a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt.
When it was completed, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world, surpassing the Chatuge Dam in the United States.[2] The dam, which created the Lake Nasser reservoir, was built 7 km (4.3 mi) upstream of the Aswan Low Dam, which had been completed in 1902 and was already at its maximum utilization.
With the old dam in place, the annual flooding of the Nile during late summer had continued to pass largely unimpeded down the valley from its East African drainage basin. These floods brought high water with natural nutrients and minerals that annually enriched the fertile soil along its floodplain and delta; this predictability had made the Nile valley ideal for farming since ancient times. However, this natural flooding varied, since high-water years could destroy the whole crop, while low-water years could create widespread drought and consequently famine. Both these events had continued to occur periodically.
As Egypt's population grew and technology increased, both a desire and the ability developed to completely control the flooding, and thus both protect and support farmland and its economically important cotton crop. With the greatly increased reservoir storage provided by the High Aswan Dam, the floods could be controlled and the water could be stored for later release over multiple years.
The Aswan Dam was designed by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Malyshev of the Moscow-based Hydroproject Institute.[3][4] Designed for both irrigation and power generation, the dam incorporates a number of relatively new features, including a very deep grout curtain below its base. Although the reservoir will eventually silt in, even the most conservative estimates indicate the dam will give at least 200 years of service.[5]
- ^ "Aswan High Dam". Carbon Monitoring for Action. Archived from the original on 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
- ^ Moore, Carl S. (1 Jan 2007). "Impact of National Forest & TVA Chatuge Dam". Clay County, NC Then and Now: A Written and Pictorial History. Genealogy Publishing Service. ISBN 9781881851240.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Malyshevwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Smithwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM ECONOMIC IMPRACT OF THE ASWAN HIGH DAM" (PDF). October 1971.