Çatalağzı power station
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Çatalağzı power station is an operating power station of at least 314-megawatts (MW) in Kilimi, Çatalağzı, Zonguldak, Türkiye with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as CATES-B, Çatalağzı-B power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Çatalağzı power station | Kilimi, Çatalağzı, Zonguldak, Türkiye | 41.517402, 31.900198 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit B-1, Unit B-2, Unit B-3: 41.517402, 31.900198
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit B-1 | operating | coal: lignite | 157 | subcritical | 1989 |
| Unit B-2 | operating | coal: lignite | 157 | subcritical | 1991 |
| Unit B-3 | cancelled | coal: lignite | 660 | subcritical | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit B-1 | Çates Elektrik Üretim AŞ [100%] | Parla Enerji Yatirimlari AŞ [80.0%]; small shareholder(s) [20.0%] |
| Unit B-2 | Çates Elektrik Üretim AŞ [100%] | Parla Enerji Yatirimlari AŞ [80.0%]; small shareholder(s) [20.0%] |
| Unit B-3 | Çates Elektrik Üretim AŞ [100%] | Parla Enerji Yatirimlari AŞ [80.0%]; small shareholder(s) [20.0%] |
Background
ÇATES-A was built in 1948 and comprises 6 units, each 20 MW in size, which were retired in 1988.[1] ÇATES-B with 314 MW capacity was commissioned in 1989 (Unit 1) and 1991 (Unit 2).[2][3]
On 22 December 2014, ÇATES-B was privatized and taken over by Bereket Enerji.[4] The Turkish government opened a bidding process to find a company to take over the power plant. Bereket's subsidiary Elsan Elektrik submitted a US$350 million bid, which only won after the leading bidder, Demir Madencilik, withdrew its US$351 million bid.[5] Elsan Elektrik created a new corporate entity called Çates Elektrik Üretim AŞ to manage the power station's operations.[6]
In January 2017, protesters stopped the EIA assessment meeting for a new 660 MW unit. However, in August 2018 an EIA assessment meeting was held to consider the expansion, which would burn imported coal[7] and still, no official update was made.
As of December 2021 the EIA for the expansion had been cancelled, and according to CAN Europe the plant is cancelled.[8]
In November 2023, ÇATES announced that 20% of the company's shares would be taken public. The initial public offering would take place from November 30 to December 1.[9]
In January 2024, ÇATES Elektrik Üretim AŞ signed a coal supply agreement with Türkiye Taşkömürü Kurumu (TKK). ÇATES would purchase at least 500,000 tons of coal annually through the end of 2026.[10]
Environmental impact
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 ÇATES.[11] The delay would have allowed ÇATES to continue to operate without a modern dust, desulphurization and denitrification system.[12] [13] In November 2019 the Turkish Parliament approved the bill.[14] 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".[15]
As a result, CATES and the 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.[16] In January 2020 the plant was one of five plants closed by the government under Environmental Law 2872 for failing to install a more effective air filtration system. The other closed plants were Afşin-Elbistan A, Kütahya Tunçbilek, Sivas Kangal and Kütahya Seyitömer.[17] As of May 2020 the plant was still waiting for permission for the government to resume operating.[18] In May 2020 Greenpeace applied to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to keep CATES closed and to shut down nine 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.[19][20][19] In June 2020 the plant's two units were declared in compliance with the new filter requirement and were cleared to resume operating with a one-year temporary license.[21] 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 and should be shut down under Environmental Law 2872.[22]
In May 2023, the power station allegedly continued to operate without chimney filters. A video showed ÇATES-B "vomiting poison" (Google translate).[23]
In May 2024, nearby residents complained of public health issues reportedly associated with coal ash blowing into the air from Çatalağzı power station's coal ash dam.[24]
In August 2024, a boiler backfire at the power station caused a dust cloud surrounding the Çatalağzı area.[25]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Catalagzi Coal Power Plant Turkey," Global Energy Observatory, accessed March 2017
- ↑ "Çatalağzı Lignite Power Plant", Bereket Enerji website, accessed Mar 2018.
- ↑ "Çatalağzı Termik Santrali," Wikipedia Turkey, accessed March 2018.
- ↑ Bereket Enerji, Çatalağzı Santrali`ni de devraldı, Enerji Günlüğü, 23 December 2014.
- ↑ ÇATES from its foundation to the present, Pusula, Jan. 2, 2020
- ↑ Bereket Enerji, Çatalağzı Santrali`ni de devraldı Kaynak: Bereket Enerji, Çatalağzı Santrali`ni de devraldı, Enerji Gunlugu, Dec. 23, 2014
- ↑ EIA report of CATES additional capacity, Çevresel Etki Değerlendirmesi, İzin Ve Denetim Genel Müdürlüğü website, Dec. 26, 2016
- ↑ Communication with CAN Europe, January 2022
- ↑ Çatalağzı Termik Santrali (ÇATES) halka arz oluyor, Dünya Gazetesi, Nov. 28, 2023
- ↑ Çates TTK’dan yılda 500 bin ton kömür alacak Kaynak: Çates TTK’dan yılda 500 bin ton kömür alacak, Enerji Günlüğü, January 2, 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
- ↑ Communication with HEAL, December 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.
- ↑ 5 thermal power plants that did not install filters and did not take flue gas treatment measures were completely closed, BBC, Jan. 2, 2020
- ↑ ÇATES’te zor günler. İşten çıkartılan var mı?, Pusula Gazetesi, May 5, 2020
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Koronavirüs döneminde filtresiz termik santraller kapatılmalı, Cumhuriyet, May 22, 2020
- ↑ Isabelle Garretsen, How air pollution exacerbates Covid-19 BBC, Apr. 27, 2020
- ↑ Son dakika... Bakan Kurum'dan termik santral açıklaması, Hurriyet, Jun. 8, 2020
- ↑ Kömürlü termik santralleri çevreyi ve havayı kirletmeye devam ediyor, Sozcu, Jul. 7, 2021
- ↑ ÇATES zehir kusuyor, Halkin Sesi, May 29, 2023
- ↑ Vatandaştan büyük tepki! "Göz göre göre zehirleniyoruz!", İmza Gazetesi, May 1, 2024
- ↑ Termik Santralde kaza!, Halkin Sesi, August 23, 2024
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.
