Project Outline

Over the last decade Iran has made huge investments to develop its hydraulic infrastructures and to utilize the nation’s immense hydropower generation capacity, creating a vast and growing market for civil and hydraulic engineering projects. In line with its diversification strategy, and in view of its extensive experience in earthwork and civil engineering, as well as its considerable human and material resources, Kayson has sought to play a more active role in the development of Iran’s hydraulic infrastructures.

The Sattarkhan Dam which was built on the Ahar river in Northwestern Iran is intended to solve two crucial problems: to control recurring river floods and to create a reservoir to serve as the primary source of water supply for local residents. This water supply would be utilized, as well, to irrigate 12,000 hectares of newly assigned cultivation land.

Main Features

Standing 75 meters high and 350 meters across the crest, Sattarkhan storage dam has a reservoir capacity of 131 million cubic meters. Sattarkhan is an earth dam with an impermeable clay core and a catchment area of about 950 square kilometers.

A diversion Tunnel- 5.5 meters in diameter, 438 meters in length and a longitudinal slope of 0.8 to 1 percent was build to divert the river. After completion of the dam, the tunnel is used for water intake and discharge purposes. The capacity of the lower discharge tunnel is such that, with the help of the intake tunnel, it can empty the reservoir within 24 days. The dams intake system is capable of providing 7.8 cubic meters of irrigation water and one cubic meter of urban water per second.

Key Statistics

• Rock Excavation: 625,000 Cubic Meters
• Earthwork: 4 Million Cubic Meters
• Formwork: 41,000 Square Meters
• Concrete: 60,000 Cubic Meters

Sattarkhan Dam came on stream on November 21, 1998, a year ahead of schedule, in a ceremony attended by the IRI President.