The newly constructed Arkun Dam hydropower facility on the Çoruh River (Turkey) would have been considerably more expensive if conventional concrete walls were used along the edges of the power station instead of the chosen geosynthetic solution. NAUE Geosynthetics profiles the project and the reinforced earth – geogrid option that was selected and which saved 40% on the cost for this portion of the project.
Highlights of the hydropower facility:
- Provides power to 360,000 homes
- Water flow: 475,200 m3/h
- Output: 880 GWh/a
- Elevation difference between dam and power station: 192m
- Power station base edges originally proposed with concrete retaining walls
- Approximately 700 trucks of special concrete would have been needed to construct the complex foundation
- A geogrid baseed geosynthetic-reinforced earth design, saved 40% on the cost of construction
- Shotcrete facing applied
The design utilizes one of the m3 reinforcement systems from NAUE with geogrid, nonwoven geotextile, and a metal mesh skin.
