Modern Technology in an Ancient Environment?The Answan II Power Plant

by Carl Schmidt, SWECO, Stockholm, Sweden,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Water Power '87

Abstract:

The Aswan II power plant is located at the old Low Aswan Dam in Southern Egypt. This dam was constructed in the early years of the century in order to provide irrigation water for cash crops, mainly the famous Egyptian cotton. The reservoir was regularly emptied every year before the arrival of the silty floods from the Blue Nile and refilled by the clear water from the aftermath of the flood. There is obviously a limit for how much water can be stored in this way without risking that the effective storage volume will be reduced by siltation, and after the dam had been heightened twice, in 1912 and 1933 the reservoir had reached its optimum regulation capacity. In the 1950's the hydropower potential of the dam was developed by the construction of a 350 MW plant on the left hand bank, designed to provide electricity for a major fertilizer plant.

Subject Headings: Power plants | Hydro power | Dams | Reservoirs | Water storage | Soil water | Silt | Egypt | Africa | Middle East | Nile River

Services: Buy this book/Buy this article

 

Return to search