The US$65M hydropower facility is owned and operated by AES-IC Ictas Energy, a 51% AES owned joint venture. The project increases AES' small hydro capacity in Turkey to 42MW.
"Turkey continues to be a focal point for our development efforts given the rate of growth in electricity demand and the upcoming privatization of state-owned generation facilities. Bringing small hydro into commercial operation underscores our commitment to helping Turkey meet its power needs," said Paul Hanrahan, President and Chief Executive Officer of AES.
The Damlapinar facility includes two 8.2MW Francis Turbines from Harbin Power Engineering, a Chinese manufacturer, and the Engineering, Procurement and Construction work was performed by IC Ictas Construction. Damlapinar is the first of two AES-IC cascading run-of-river facilities and includes a small dam with storage capacity that will allow production planning for peak generation during key periods. The downstream 28MW Kepezkaya facility, as well as the 18MW Kumkoy small hydro project, located in Samsun, are both expected to start commercial operation by the end of the year.
Electricity generated by the project will be sold into the wholesale market through day-ahead spot sales or to eligible customers through short-term contracts.
