Akosombo Dam

Akosombo Dam
Akosombo Dam as seen from the Volta Hotel
Location of the Akosombo Dam in Ghana
Location	Akosombo, Ghana
Coordinates	6°17′59″N 0°3′34″E / 6.29972°N 0.05944°E / 6.29972; 0.05944Coordinates: 6°17′59″N 0°3′34″E / 6.29972°N 0.05944°E / 6.29972; 0.05944
Status	Operational
Construction began	1961
Opening date	1965
Construction cost	£130 million
Owner(s)	Volta River Authority
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment, rock-fill
Impounds	Volta River
Height (foundation)	114 m (374 ft)
Length	660 m (2,170 ft)
Width (base)	366 m (1,201 ft)
Dam volume	7,900,000 m3 (280,000,000 cu ft)
Spillways	Twin gate-gontrolled
Spillway capacity	34,000 m3/s (1,200,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Volta
Total capacity	148 km3 (120,000,000 acre·ft)
Surface area	8,502 km2 (3,283 sq mi)
Maximum length	400 km (250 mi)
Power station
Hydraulic head	68.8 m (226 ft) (max)
Turbines	6 x 170 MW (230,000 hp) Francis-type
Installed capacity	1,038 MW (1,392,000 hp)
Website www.vra.com/our_mandate/akosombo_hydro_plant.php

The Akosombo Dam, also known as the Volta Dam, is a hydroelectric dam on the Volta River in southeastern Ghana in the Akosombo gorge and part of the Volta River Authority. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin, and led to the subsequent creation of Lake Volta. Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in the world by surface area. It covers 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi), which is 3.6% of Ghana's land area. With a volume of 148 cubic kilometers Lake Volta is the world's third largest man-made lake by volume, the largest being Lake Kariba which is located between Zimbabwe and Zambia in Southern Africa and contains 185 cubic kilometers of water.

The primary purpose of the Akosombo Dam was to provide electricity for the aluminium industry. The Akosombo Dam was called "the largest single investment in the economic development plans of Ghana." Its original electrical output was 912 megawatts (1,223,000 hp), which was upgraded to 1,020 megawatts (1,370,000 hp) in a retrofit project that was completed in 2006.

The flooding that created the Lake Volta reservoir displaced many people and had a significant impact on the environment.

The dam was conceived in 1915 by geologist Albert Ernest Kitson, but no plans were drawn until the 1940s. The development of the Volta River Basin was proposed in 1949, but because funds were insufficient, the American company Volta Aluminum Company (Valco) loaned money to Ghana so that the dam could be constructed. Kwame Nkrumah adopted the Volta River hydropower project.

The final proposal outlined the building of an aluminum smelter at Tema, a dam constructed at Akosombo to power the smelter, and a network of power lines installed through southern Ghana. The aluminum smelter was expected to eventually provide the revenue necessary for establishing local bauxite mining and refining, which would allow aluminum production without importing foreign alumina. Development of the aluminum industry within Ghana was dependent upon the proposed hydroelectric power. The proposed project's aluminum smelter was overseen by the American company, Kaiser Aluminum, and is operated by Valco. The smelter received its financial investment from Valco shareholders, with the support of the Export-Import Bank of Washington, DC. However, Valco did not invest without first requiring insurances from Ghana's government, such as company exemptions from taxes on trade and discounted purchases of electricity. The estimated total cost of the project, in its entirety, was estimated at $258 million.