Orhaneli power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Çelikler Orhaneli power station is a 210-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Bursa province, Turkey.

Location

The undated satellite photo below shows the plant, which is near Gumuspinar, Bursa province.

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Background on Plant

The 210 MW coal plant is owned by Çelikler Holding[1] and is fuelled by adjacent lignite mines.[2]

Pollution allegations

In February 2018 a local MP asked for pollution complaints to be investigated.[3] In February 2019 the Right to Clean Air Platform-Turkey, a coalition of 17 professional organizations and NGOs, successfully campaigned to stop the Turkish Parliament from delaying proper air pollution filtration system and infrastructure requirements for old privatised coal plants until 2021, including Orhaneli.[4] The delay would have allowed Orhaneli to continue to operate without a modern dust, desulphurization and denitrification system.[5] [6] In November 2019 the Turkish Parliament approved the bill.[7] However on Dec. 2, 2019 President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vetoed the bill and said this veto was motivated by "environmental sensitivity".[8]

As a result, Orhaneli and other privatised coal power plants that have not completed the required infrastructure including filtration system must complete these requirements beginning Jan. 1, 2020 or these plants will face closure and/or fines.[9] In January 2020 the plant received a "temporary activity certificate" that will allow it to continue operating for six months despite its failure to comply with filtration requirements under Environmental Law 2872.[10] As of May 2020 the plant was operating with a "temporary activity certificate" that will allow it to continue operating until January 2021 despite its failure to comply with filtration requirements under Environmental Law 2872.[11] In May 2020 Greenpeace applied to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to shut down Orhaneli and eight other plants not in compliance with Environmental Law 2872 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the correlation between fine particulate pollution and higher mortality rates from Covid-19.[11][12] A July 2021 report by Climate Change Policy and Research Association found that the plant was still not in compliance with flue gas emissions standards but was continuing to operate as a result of obtaining a Temporary Activity Certificate (GFB).[13]

Plant Details

  • Owner: Çelikler Orhaneli Tunçbilek Elektrik Üretim
  • Parent company: Çelikler Holding
  • Location: Gumuspinar, Bursa province, Turkey
  • Coordinates: 39.9509, 28.8702 (exact)
  • Status: Operating
  • Gross capacity: 210 MW
  • Start year: 1992
  • Type: Subcritical
  • Coal type: Lignite
  • Coal source: Domestic
  • WRI ID: WRI1018721
  • EBC ID: TR-17

Articles and resources

References

Related GEM.wiki articles

External resources