Assessment of Greenhouse Gases Emissions from Dam Reservoirs: the Case of Tuzluca Dam

It is a known fact that large dam projects built to serve important purposes such as electricity generation, irrigation drinking water supply, and flood control cause greenhouse gases emissions due to the areas they flood. In this study, the greenhouse gases emission impacts of the Tuzluca Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project, planned to be constructed in the Iğdır province of Turkey, were evaluated. Analyses conducted using the G-res tool, developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Hydropower Association (IHA), estimated that the Tuzluca Dam and HPP project will emit 2,228 tCO2e of greenhouse gases annually once the dam begins to hold water. In accordance with the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is predicted that when emissions occurring before the dam and during its construction are included, the net greenhouse gases emissions of the project will be -902 gCO2e per square meter annually. The results obtained from this study were found to be consistent with similar studies in the literature.