ISTANBUL, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's Ilisu Dam began generating electricity at full capacity on Thursday, Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli announced.
The Ilisu Dam, located on the Tigris River in the southeastern province of Mardin, is expected to contribute 2.8 billion Turkish liras (366 million U.S. dollars) a year to the country's economy, Pakdemirli said in a written statement.
With a total installed power of 1,200 megawatts, the dam will produce an average of 4,120 GWh of energy annually, according to the ministry.
Turkey is facing a serious drought and water shortage this year due to insufficient rainfalls, and dams in many parts of the country are drying up at an alarming rate.
The construction of Ilisu, the second-largest dam in the country in terms of filling volume, started in 2006, but following several setbacks, the first turbine only became operational in May this year. Enditem
