Haditha Dam

Haditha Dam
Location of Haditha Dam in Iraq
Official name	سد حديثة
Location	Haditha, Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq
Coordinates	34°12′25″N 42°21′18″E / 34.20694°N 42.35500°E / 34.20694; 42.35500Coordinates: 34°12′25″N 42°21′18″E / 34.20694°N 42.35500°E / 34.20694; 42.35500
Construction began	1977
Opening date	1987
Construction cost	US$830,000,000
Operator(s)	Ministry of Water Resources
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Euphrates River
Height	57 m (187 ft)
Length	9,064 m (29,738 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Qadisiyah
Total capacity	8.3 km3 (2.0 cu mi)
Surface area	500 km2 (193 sq mi)
Power station
Turbines	6
Installed capacity	660 MW

The Haditha Dam (Arabic: سد حديثة‎‎) or Qadisiya Dam is an earth-fill dam on the Euphrates, north of Haditha (Iraq), creating Lake Qadisiyah (Arabic: Buhayrat al-Qadisiyyah‎‎). The dam is just over 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) long and 57 metres (187 ft) high. The purpose of the dam is to generate hydroelectricity, regulate the flow of the Euphrates and provide water for irrigation. It is the second-largest hydroelectric contributor to the power system in Iraq behind the Mosul Dam.

The Haditha Dam project was conceived in the late 1960s; construction began in 1977. The dam embankment was designed by the Soviet Union's Ministry of Energy, with its power station and equipment being designed and constructed by various Yugoslavian firms; these included Hidrogradnja of Sarajevo, as the prime contractor; Energoprojekt of Belgrade for design; Metalna of Maribor for intake gates, bottom outlet gate, radial gates; Litostroj of Ljubljana for turbines and generators; and Rade Končar of Zagreb for transformers. It was conceived of as a multi-purpose project that would generate hydroelectric power, regulate the flow of the Euphrates, and provide water for irrigation. Construction lasted between 1977 and 1987 and was a joint undertaking by the Soviet Union and Iraqi governments. The cost of the initial construction of the Haditha Dam is estimated at US$830 million.