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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vetoed a bill that postpones the installation of filters to 15 thermal power plants for another two-and-a-half years.
This was the first time the President vetoed a bill, AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik said, adding that it happened "as a result of environmental sensitivity." The bill was supported by the AKP and their allies Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and passed in the parliament on November 21.
CLICK - Thermal Plants to Operate Wthout Filters for Another Two-and-a-Half Years
Privatized in 2013, coal-fired thermal power plants were given time till the end of 2019 to complete the necessary environmental investments.
The bill drew reactions from environmental groups, including WWF Turkey and Greenpeace Mediterranean.
What does a filter do?According to the data shared by the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), if no filters are used, a 100-Megawatt thermal power plant burning coal leaves the following contaminating impacts on nature: Sulphur Oxides (SO2) - 45,000 ton/year Nitric Oxides (NOx) - 26,000 ton/year Carbon Monoxide (CO) - 750 ton/year Solid Particles (PM) - 32,500 ton/year Hydrocarbons - 250 ton/year Ash - 5,660 ton/year |
(PT/VK)
