Uluabat

The Uluabat Hydro Electric Power Plant with an installed capacity of 100 MW forms part of the Çınarcık Dam hydro scheme located on Orhaneli River in Bursa province, north-west of Turkey. The Çınarcık Dam has a height of 125 m from foundation and a crest length of 325 m. The power intake structure is located on the right bank. The power tunnel has a 4m diameter and a length of almost 11.5 km, which makes it the longest one in Turkey. The first 500 meters of the tunnel were excavated by tunnel boring machines, no auxiliary access tunnels were used for the construction. The variations of geological conditions of the bedrock through which the tunnel was driven posed the biggest challenge to the local building contractor. The powerhouse is a reinforced concrete structure with two vertical axis Francis type turbines, and installed capacity of each unit is 50 MW.

The construction of the Uluabat power plant started in 2005 and represents an investment of more than USD 149 million. It started commercial operation in 2010.