Villagers on Watch in Çanakkale Against Geothermal Power Plants

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The villagers have initiated a watch against the geothermal power plant planned to be constructed in Gürpınar village in Çanakkale’s district of Ayvalık.

Safir Sondaj Hizmetleri (Safir Drilling Services) started the geothermal drilling works on behalf of Pınarkale Enerji (Pınarkale Energy) company near the olive cultivation field near Gülpınar Village 10 days ago.

Stating that the geothermal power plants to be constructed in organic olive cultivation field will harm agriculture and human health, the villagers stand against drilling works.

“Law on Olive Cultivation has been breached”

The villagers started the watch against the drilling works, which took start despite the lawsuit brought by the villagers continues:

Speaking to bianet, Çanakkale Bar Environment and Urban Law Commission President Attorney Ali Furkan Oğuz said that the construction contravenes with the Law on Olive that includes the “no facility can be constructed near 3 km of the olive cultivation fields” provision and that they filed a lawsuit for the stay of execution against the verdict that “Environmental Impact Assessment is not Required”.

“The drilling work is carried out in the olive cultivation field. Olive trees have been cut as well during the drilling works. When the drilling works started we appealed to the court due to the emergency of the situation. Olive trees have been cut as well during the drilling works. The court needs to halt this drilling”.

“We cannot allow this in our village"

Gürpınar Village Chief Ünal Karagöz said “After seeing the effects of the geothermal power plant in Tuzla Village near us, we cannot allow this in our village”.

“We produce organic olive and olive oil here. While we cannot build even a hut near the trees due to the Law on Olive, they breach the law. There are two geothermal power plants in Tuzla Village four kilometers from here and the drillings works continue. What we observe there is that the wastes and gas produced as a result of the operation of drilling and power plant pollute the environment and threaten human health. After seeing the effects of the geothermal power plant in Tuzla Village near us, we cannot allow this in our village. We have filed a lawsuit but when the drilling work started, the citizens started to keep watch 5-6 days ago not to be late. We stopped the drilling yesterday but it resumed today”.

In its statement, Pınarkale Enerji company claimed that the area where the drilling is carried out is not olive cultivation field, all actions taken are legal and the protests are not staged by villagers but summer house vacationists. (NV/TK)