Khoda Afarin Dam (also spelled as Khodaafarin Dam or Khudafarin Dam) is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Aras River straddling the international border between Iran and Azerbaijan. It is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of Khomarlu in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) southwest of Soltanlı in Jabrayil District, Azerbaijan. Armenian de facto protectorate Republic of Artsakh occupied the area in 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, but on 18 October 2020, the Azerbaijani forces retook control of the dam during 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[4] It is located 1 km (0.62 mi) upstream of the Khodaafarin Bridges.
Khoda Afarin Dam | |
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Official name | Xudafərin SES, سد خداآفرین |
Country | Iran/Azerbaijan |
Location | Khomarlu, East Azerbaijan Province/Soltanlı, Jabrayil Rayon |
Coordinates | 39°9′35″N 46°56′05″E |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 1999 |
Opening date | 2008 |
Owner(s) | Azərenerji ASC/East Azerbaijan Regional Water Authority |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Embankment, earth-fill |
Impounds | Aras River |
Height | 64 m (210 ft)[1] |
Length | 400 m (1,300 ft)[2] |
Reservoir | |
Total capacity | 1,612×10 |
Active capacity | 1,495×10 |
Power Station | |
Installed capacity | 102 MW (137,000 hp) |
The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and irrigation. It was conceived as a joint project with the Soviet Union and both sides reached an agreement in October 1977. Designs were finalized in 1982, revised in the early 1990s and construction began in 1999.[3]
The dam was complete and began to impound water in 2008. It was inaugurated in 2010. The irrigation works are still underway.[5] During construction, several Bronze Age sites were discovered, including the grave of a Saka-Scythian warrior. The reservoir filling, or impoundment, was delayed in 2008 to accommodate excavations.[6][7] The dam's power plant has an installed capacity of 102 megawatts (137,000 hp) and is designed to irrigate 75,000 hectares (190,000 acres).[3][8]
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Major reservoirs and dams in Iran |
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Under construction |
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Ancient dams | ||
Also See: Dams and reservoirs in Iran |