According to data compiled from the Water Reports of the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ), the occupancy rate of dams rose to 71.3% as of July 19. This rate had been recorded as 61.4% in 2024, and 51.7% last year.
The total active water volume in all dams across Turkey reached 72.53 billion cubic meters by July, according to data. This figure was 30.24 billion cubic meters in the same period last year, indicating that the water entering dams increased by 139.9% compared to last year.
Major increase in hydroelectric production
This abundance of water also directly impacted electricity generation. Hydroelectric production in the first six months of the year increased by 68% compared to the same period last year.
Hydroelectric generation stood at 33.9 billion kilowatt-hours in the first half of last year, reaching 57 billion kilowatt-hours in the same period this year. With these figures, the share of hydroelectric power plants (HEPP) in Turkey's total electricity generation exceeded 32%.
Water inflow at record levels in spring months
When examining the monthly distribution of water inflow into main basin dams, the increase in spring months was particularly notable. Total water entering reservoir-based power plants from January to July reached 72.53 billion cubic meters, up from 30.24 billion cubic meters last year. May was the most abundant month with 19.3 billion cubic meters of inflow, while February, April and June also saw two to three times more inflow compared to last year.
In the first 19 days of July, total water inflow to main basin dams amounted to 3 billion 436 million 829 thousand cubic meters. Daily data showed the highest inflow on July 1 at 217.4 million cubic meters, and the lowest on July 16 at 147.2 million cubic meters.
Critical dams benefit from water abundance
Among the main basin dams benefiting from this water abundance are critical facilities such as Keban, Deriner, Altınkaya, Hirfanlı, Boyabat, Oymapınar and Alpaslan-1. Additionally, Adıgüzel, Alkumru, Almus, Batman, Demirköprü, Dicle, Ermenek, Garzan, Hasan Uğurlu, Karacaören, Kemer, Kılıçkaya, Kralkızı, Kuzgun, Kandil, Özlüce, Sarıyar, Tercan, Torul, Uzunçayır, Yamula and Yedigöze dams are listed among the main power plants with increased water productivity.
Long-term average exceeded
This year's water inflow into dams not only surpassed the previous drought year but also exceeded the long-term average of 55.93 billion cubic meters. In the first seven months, water entering dams reached 195.1% of the planned program targets of 37.18 billion cubic meters, effectively doubling expectations. This also exceeded the long-term average by 29.7%, marking a historic achievement in energy management.
