Official opening of Qiz Qalasi Dam
The Qiz Qalasi dam project and the completion and development of the Khoda Afrin Dam, which have been implemented jointly by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, has officially opened and their operation started with the presence of the presidents of the two countries.
While attending the zero point of the border and the construction site of the joint dam Qiz Qalasi, which was built in order to complete the operation of the Khoda Afrin Dam before noon on Sunday, Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and Mr Ilham Aliyev, presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, officially opened this dam, which has been built upstream of Aras border river.
The master plan of Khoda Afrin refers to the design and construction of two dams, Khoda Afrin and Qiz Qalasi Dam, on the Aras River and in the vicinity of the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Now, with the construction and completion of the Qiz Qalasi dam, the possibility of maximum utilisation of the volume of water stored in the Khoda Afrin Dam has been provided by transferring it to agricultural lands in East Azerbaijan and Ardabil provinces and the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan through the Qiz Qalasi dam, as well as increasing the electricity production capacity.
With the completion of the Qiz Qalasi dam and the finalisation of the comprehensive plan of Khoda Afarin, many economic and social benefits will be provided at the border zero point in the northwest of the country.
Qiz Qalasi Dam is an earthen dam with a clay core and a height of 37 metres from the foundation with a crest length of 834 metres and a body volume of 2.1 million cubic meters.
This dam will provide 2 billion cubic metres of water and 270 gigawatts of electricity per year, covering 74k hectares of agricultural lands.