Yatağan power station
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Yatağan power station is an operating power station of at least 630-megawatts (MW) in Şahinler, Yatağan, Muğla, Türkiye. It is also known as Yatagan power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Yatağan power station | Şahinler, Yatağan, Muğla, Türkiye | 37.330905, 28.102377 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 37.330905, 28.102377
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Operating | coal: lignite | 210 | subcritical | 1984 |
| Unit 2 | Operating | coal: lignite | 210 | subcritical | 1984 |
| Unit 3 | Operating | coal: lignite | 210 | subcritical | 1986 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Yatagan Termik Santrali AŞ [100%] | Bereket Enerji Üretim AŞ |
| Unit 2 | Yatagan Termik Santrali AŞ [100%] | Bereket Enerji Üretim AŞ |
| Unit 3 | Yatagan Termik Santrali AŞ [100%] | Bereket Enerji Üretim AŞ |
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Financing
- Source of financing: İş Bankası
Background
Yatağan is the oldest and least productive power station in Turkey. There are plans to expand its mining area.[1] The power station was reportedly financed by İş Bankası.[2]
Yatağan is among three plants - along with Yeniköy power station and Kemerköy power station - planned for rehabilitation in Muğla province, to extend the life of the plants by up to 30 years. Many residents oppose the rehabilitation.[3] In August 2021 the Ministry of Industry and technology granted 761 million liras for the modernization of the plant.[4]
As of March 2022, the plant employed 2,000 people and met 1.2% of the country's total energy need.[5]
According to April 2022 reporting, an 85 MW solar farm was slated for development at the Yatağan Thermal Power Plant site.[6]
In September 2022, according to advocates for the power station's closure, the plant had reached the end of its economic life. The power station was described as a "burden to the state" (Google translate) and was taking time and resources away from alternative, just transition opportunities.[7]
In June 2023, a coalition of 80 environmental organizations, Ekoloji Birliği, called for the closure of the power stations in Muğla by 2030.[8]
In July 2023, workers at the Yatağan power station were bargaining for higher wages, claiming that their current rate was below the poverty line.[9]
In August 2023, İkizköy residents made a press statement and applied to the Presidency for the immediate closure of Kemerköy, Yatağan and Yeniköy power stations. They stated that the power stations had been operating unconstitutionally since 1996.[10]
As March 2025, Yatağan power station had reportedly not been operating for two months. The mayor of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality stated that issues were ongoing at the Kemerköy, Yatağan, and Yeniköy power stations, and concerns remained about their impact on society, agriculture, and the environment. He indicated that a "coal-free Muğla" policy by 2030 was in development, but the target was in opposition to the desires of the power station workers in attendance at the meeting.[11]
Mass layoffs
As of July 2024, the power station had been privatized and sold to Bereket Enerji. Over 500 workers were reportedly being laid off following the change in ownership.[12]
In August 2024, following negotiations, the number of employees officially dismissed from the power station was 120. Additional employees were dismissed from the mine.[13] One of the power station's units was slated to be mothballed as a result of problems with operating the power station privately.[14]
In October 2024, a coalition of ecological organizations issued a joint press release in support of the power station workers. The organizations highlighted the need for a fair and just energy transition that protects the rights of employees. One line of the statement read: "As workers who sustain life, we are fighting together against the exploitation of nature and labor. We demand a fair and sustainable future for all of us by breaking free from the coal sector" (Google translate).[15]
Environmental impact
In February 2019 the Right to Clean Air Platform, a coalition of 17 professional organizations and NGOs, successfully campaigned to stop the Turkish Parliament from delaying stronger air pollution requirements for some old coal plants from 2019 until 2021.[16] The delay would have allowed Yatağan to continue to operate without a desulphurization system or modernised dust filters.[17] In November 2019 the Turkish Parliament approved a bill to extend the deadline for stronger emissions standards to 2021.[18] 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".[19]
As a result, Yatağan 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.[20] 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.[21]
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.[22] In May 2020 Greenpeace applied to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to shut down Yatağan 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.[22][23]
In January 2022, the plant was operating with (Google translate) "an audit-exempt environmental permit and a temporary operating certificate". For one month where the air quality of the region was monitored for a study, the values of PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollutants exceeded the World Health Organization limits twice. These measurements were attributed to the coal plants, including the Yatağan station, in the region.[24]
In January 2023, a report from the Muğla Environment Platform, Ecology Union and Climate Justice Coalition stated that samples from agricultural products cultivated around the Yatağan power station contained contained high levels of heavy metals. Additionally, they claimed that the power station used 7.5 times more water than the total drinking water needs of Yatağan district.[25]
In November 2023, 465 local residents and organizations made a joint petition to the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (Devlet Su İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (DSI)) demanding that DSI cancel the water allocations of Yatağan power station and Yeniköy power station. Article 7 of Turkiye's Regulation on Water Allocations reportedly required the prioritization of daily drinking water needs, and Muğla residents stated that water scarcity was a growing concern.[26]
Coal source
In December 2023, Yatağan Termik Santrali reportedly submitted an EIA application for a new coal mine with a 1,000,000 ton annual capacity. The license area would be nearby a protected Historic Site.[27]
As of April 2024, an "EIA not necessary" decision was reportedly granted for the mining project. An advocate against the power station claimed that underground mining was already taking place.[28]
In July 2024, another EIA process was initiated for a coal mine to be built in the Menteşe District of Muğla. The mine would supply coal for use at Yatağan power station.[29]
In January 2025, the underground mining exploration license was cancelled by the Izmir Regional Court.[30]
As of February 2025, Yatağan power station was reportedly at risk of shutting down due to ongoing coal shortages.[31]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Nature and history butchered for coal,", Hürriyet, 10 July 2017.
- ↑ "Coal & Climate Change - 2017," Önder Algedik, Aug 2017
- ↑ "The Real Costs of Coal: Muğla," CAN Europe, July 2019
- ↑ Yatagan termike 761 milyon liralik tesvik haberi, Dunya, Aug. 8, 2021
- ↑ Muğla'da termik santralin maden sahasına 1,5 milyon fidan dikildi, Yeni Safak, March 5, 2022
- ↑ Yatağan Termik Santrali sahasına 85 MW’lık güneş santrali kurulacak Enerji Gunlugu, April 22, 2022
- ↑ TERMİK SANTRAL ve MADENLERİ İSTEMİYORUZ, Solfasol, September 20, 2022
- ↑ Tayyibe Demirel: “Dokuz Senedir Zeytinlerimi Vermedim, Vermeyi Düşünmüyorum”, Ekoloji Birliği, June 11, 2023
- ↑ Yatağan termik santral işçileri: Ücretlerimiz yoksulluk sınırına göre hesaplansın, Evrensel, July 1, 2023
- ↑ "Muğla’daki 3 Termik Santralın Kapatılması için Cumhurbaşkanlığı’na Başvuruldu," Iklim Haber, August 25, 2023
- ↑ "Muğla'da termik santral işçileri ile Belediye Başkanı Ahmet Aras arasında gergin görüşme," Anka Haber Ajansi, March 14, 2025
- ↑ "Patronlarla saf tutmanın sonu," evrensel, July 18, 2024
- ↑ "Yatağan Termik Santrali’nde işçiler işten çıkarıldı: Sendikalardan açıklama geldi," Mabolla Medya, September 9, 2024
- ↑ "Muğla'da Yatağan Termik Santrali’ndeki işten çıkarmalara karşı sendikalardan ortak açıklama: 'Ülkemizin karanlıkta kalmasını istemiyorsanız madenleri acilen kamulaştırın'", Anka Haber, September 9, 2024
- ↑ "Ekoloji Örgütlerinden Yatağan Termik Santrali Işçileri Için Ortak Çağrı," Ekoloji Birliği, October 10, 2024
- ↑ Step forward for health protection in Turkey: Proposal to extend the pollution exemptions given to privatised coal power plants withdrawn, Health And Environment Alliance, Feb. 15, 2019
- ↑ Turkish Parliament will vote about polluting coal power plants next week, Health And Environment Alliance, Feb. 1, 2019
- ↑ 50’inci madde kabul edildi, Yeşil Ekonomi, 22 Nov. 2019
- ↑ Erdoğan Vetoes Bill Postponing Installation of Filters to Coal-Fired Plants, Bianet, 02 December 2019.
- ↑ TBMM Plan Ve Bütçe Komisyonu, Santrallere Filtre Düzenlemesini Yeniden Görüştü, Meclis Haber, 4 December 2019.
- ↑ Anasayfa Gündem Haberleri Bakan Kurum'dan Bursa'yı da ilgilendiren termik santral açıklaması, Bursa Hakimiyet, Jan. 1, 2020
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Koronavirüs döneminde filtresiz termik santraller kapatılmalı, Cumhuriyet, May 22, 2020
- ↑ Isabelle Garretsen, How air pollution exacerbates Covid-19 BBC, Apr. 27, 2020
- ↑ Yatağan'da hava kirliliği alarm veriyor DW, June 1, 2022
- ↑ Muğla Çevre Örgütlerinden Termik Santral Raporu: "Santrallerin Devamlılığı Halinde 30 Bin Futbol Sahası Büyüklüğünde Orman Alanı Tahrip Olacak" Son Dakika, January 18, 2023
- ↑ Su Yaşamdır Termik Santraller Ölüm MUÇEP, November 8, 2023
- ↑ Yatağan’da tarih ve doğa kıyımı hız kesmiyor! | Termikçi şirket yeni bir kömür ocağı için ÇED başvurusu yaptı evrensel, December 27, 2023
- ↑ Yatağan’da usulsüz yeraltı kömür işletmeciliğine ÇED de gerekli görülmedi Yeşil Gazete, April 11, 2024
- ↑ Yatağan Termik Santrali için yeni kömür ocağı projesi: ÇED süreci başlatıldı artigercek, July 28, 2024
- ↑ Yatağan’daki Termik Santralın Yeraltı Maden Arama Ruhsatı İptal Edildi İklim Haber, January 31, 2025
- ↑ Yatağan Termik Santral'de faaliyet durma noktasına geldi mugladevrim.com, February 11, 2025
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
