Geothermal Plant Operations Halted in Manisa

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Construction of a geothermal power plant in the western province of Manisa has been halted after the resistance of villagers.

After the efforts of Özgür Özel, a Republican People's Party (CHP) MP for Manisa and Group Deputy Chairperson of the party, people of Hacıbektaşlı village also took their tent, which was confiscated by gendarmerie.

Geothermal energy of the Hacıbektaşlı village was bought by Sanko Energy company for 30 years. The company began the construction of the power plant despite the ongoing legal process.

The villagers began protesting the company in a tent that they set up on the village square. At midnight on January 4, gendarmerie confiscated the tent.

CHP MP in the village

Özel and CHP Manisa MPs Vehbi Bakırlıoğlu and Bekir Başevirgen went to Hacıbektaşlı village in Salihli district and met with the villagers on January 5.

Özel said the following after the meeting with the people:

"After talking to the citizens and getting information from them, we met with the Gendarmerie Commander and the Governor. They had to admit that the company is illegally working.

"It has been said that after the intervention of the Governor, the company has halted its operations.

"We also took back the villagers' tent worth of 40 thousand liras, which was damaged after dismantled by the gendarmerie.

"We will continue our struggle in Hacıbektaşlı and Kabazlı and in other places in Salihli, where similar problems occur. The newly founded Salihli Environmental Association will be the most important power in this struggle."

76 thousand square meters of space

Sanko Energy company announced in December 2018 that it will build a new geothermal power plant in Salihli in addition to the one it already has there.

The company said that it will build the plant in Hacıbektaşlı village on a 76,000 square meter area.

It was stated that the plant will have the capacity of 19.5 Mwe and 660 cubic meters of geothermal fluids will be pulled from the wells.

The fluids that are pulled from a 1,000 to 4,000 meters underground contain boron, mercury, arsenic, lead, ammonia, lithium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and salt. (TP/VK)