‘Company takes advantage of İzmir earthquake to construct power plant’

* Photos: Nature Association

Click to read the article in Turkish

A company named Karen Kahramanmaraş Electricity Generation Corp. is planning to construct a geothermal power plant in Orhanlı and Yeniköy areas in Seferihisar and Menderes districts in Turkey's Aegean province of İzmir, which has recently been shaken by a strong earthquake.

We have spoken with Yaşar Buyruk from the Orhanlı Village Nature, Youth and Sports Club Association about the issue.

If constructed as planned, the geothermal power plant will threaten not only the endemic olive forests in the region, but also its nature as a whole and the locals making a living there, especially from olive cultivation.

Yaşar Buyruk says that a geothermal power plant was constructed in Kavaklıdere village near Orhanlı and Yeniköy around a year ago. According to Buyruk, disturbed by both the resultant noise pollution and a decline in the fertility of their agricultural lands, people who used to live and cultivate olive for a living in the village had to emigrate.

As for the power plant project in Orhanlı and Yeniköy, it is rather new. As part of the project, 14 geothermal exploratory shafts are planned to be opened. There is no progress in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, which the company needs to launch its project. However, before this process is finalized, the company has already started its operations.

'Company has taken advantage of earthquake'

After the 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the city on October 30, claiming the lives of 115 people, the public attention has shifted, which has facilitated the company's activities in the region. According to Buyruk, the company officials allege that they have received verbal permission:

"They are trying to realize their project of destruction in a completely unlawful manner by using it as an opportunity that the bureaucracy has been working to serve the public in different fields after the earthquake.

"It was only in 24 hours that they brought containers to the picnic area of the village and set up a construction site for the workers who will work in the construction of the geothermal power plant.

"While people are trying to dress the wounds left behind by the earthquake, they are causing a second earthquake for the people here. And this is being done in a completely unlawful way."

Criminal complaint against the company

Yaşar Buyruk also indicates that they, as the locals, have filed a criminal complaint against the company which has started the construction without completing the necessary official procedures.

He shares the following information about the project:

"As part of this project, they are planning to open 14 shafts and they are now drilling for this. The company has a license for drilling, but it has started construction without getting the EIA decision necessary for the construction.

"We have appealed to the Seferihisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the grounds that a construction site has been set up in the picnic area of our village in a completely unlawful manner and that the construction of geothermal exploratory shafts has started in some areas of 14 regions in an unlawful manner and without any permits."

Protest in the construction site

The construction site set up for the geothermal exploratory shafts has caused an outrage among the locals.

The people staged a protest against the construction site on November 8, saying that the exploratory shafts and the construction site would destroy their living space. Blocking entry to the construction site, the locals demanded that the site in question be removed as soon as possible.

Following these protests and objections, the Seferihisar Municipality teams have removed the containers from the construction site.

What do the experts say?

The geothermal to be drilled from 1 thousand to 4 thousand meter depth contains fluid boron, mercury, arsenic, lead, ammonia, antimony, lithium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and salt chemicals.

Experts raise concerns about especially two important risks, if the project is realized as planned: High temperature humidity in the air and the toxic substances to be emitted to air and to water bodies.

About the company

Karen Kahramanmaraş Elektrik Üretim A.Ş., one of the affiliates of Kipaş Holding; conducts geothermal well drilling and electricity generation activities in license fields in Aydın, Denizli and İzmir provinces together with its companies KEN KİPAŞ Elektrik Üretim A.Ş., Kiper Elektrik Üretim A.Ş. and Maren Maraş Elektrik Üretim Sanayi ve Tic A.Ş.

With the generation licenses obtained from EMRA and 5 projects named İREM GPP (20 MW), Sinem GPP (24 MW), Deniz GPP (24 MW), Kerem GPP (24 MW) and KEN 1 GPP (24 MW) in Aydın province, it produces a total of 116 MW of electricity from geothermal energy. (TP/SD)