Şırnak Silopi (CİNER) power station
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Şırnak Silopi (CİNER) power station (Silopi Termik Santrali) is an operating power station of at least 405-megawatts (MW) in Silopi/Selçık, Şırnak, Türkiye.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Şırnak Silopi (CİNER) power station | Silopi/Selçık, Şırnak, Türkiye | 37.310025, 42.594696 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 37.310025, 42.594696
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: lignite | 135 | CFB | 2009 |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: lignite | 135 | CFB | 2015 |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal: lignite | 135 | CFB | 2015 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Silopi Elektrik Üretim AŞ [100%] | Ciner Group AŞ [90.4%]; GSD Holding AŞ [9.6%] |
| Unit 2 | Silopi Elektrik Üretim AŞ [100%] | Ciner Group AŞ [90.4%]; GSD Holding AŞ [9.6%] |
| Unit 3 | Silopi Elektrik Üretim AŞ [100%] | Ciner Group AŞ [90.4%]; GSD Holding AŞ [9.6%] |
Financing
- Source of financing: Garanti
Background
In 2003, Silopi Elektrik (a subsidiary of Ciner Group) proposed to build a three-unit, 405-MW, $800 million coal-fired power plant in Turkey's southeastern Şırnak province. Construction began in 2006. The first 135-MW unit went online in May 2009,[1] while a ceremony commemorating the plant was later held in March 2013 and attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.[2][3][4]
The power station was financed by Garanti.[5]
Unit 2 went online May 8, 2015, and unit 3 on December 22, 2015.[6] The power station burned asphaltite.[7]
Opposition
The project was met with protests — most notably in August 2007, when thousands rallied in Sliopi against the project.[8] Protests have continued, occurring as recently as April 2014.[9]
In September 2013, 400 workers at the plant went on strike.[10][11]
In 2014, Greenpeace Mediterranean released a report called, “Silent Killers: Why Turkey Must Replace Coal Power Projects with Green Energy,” to urge power plants like the Silopi power plant to be shut down. The report emphasizes the importance of clean and safe energy, and the risks of health and environment that are related to coal plants.[12]
In 2017, Önder Algedik published a “Coal and Climate Change 2017 report,” which discussed how coal plants, like the Sirnak Silopi power plant, may cause “more irreparable damages” to Turkey in the future.[13]
Multiple Turkish cities and towns had made applications for information about coal plant projects and their environmental impact, including the Sirnak Silopi plant.[14]
In early February 2019, Turkish environmental and health bodies used the Turkish Right Clean Air Platform to urge the Turkish Parliament to not approve the construction of coal power plants in Turkey, such as the Sirnak Silopi plant. They cited environmental and health safety issues. The Right to Clean Air Platform consists of 17 professional organizations and NGOS, working on air pollution and health impacts in Turkey from the environment.[15]
In February 2019, the Air Pollution & Climate Secretariat (AirClim) published a report by Fredrik Lundberg, an energy policy specialist in Sweden. He urged for the stop of production of coal power plants, including the Sirnak Silopi power plant.[16]
In July 2019, a private citizen of Silopi, Melik Kayar, expressed concern that his rectal cancer was the result of the toxic gases released from the production of the Sirnak Silopi power plant. He urged for the plant to stop operations, as he is “afraid to even go outside.”[17] There were also reports that the Sirnok Silopi power plant radiated poison that can be correlated with 511 deaths and 11,000 disabled citizens from 2016-2019.[18]
In May 2020, Greenpeace demanded the closure of 9 coal plants in Turkey, including the Sirnak Silopi plant, citing added risks from the coronavirus with the air pollutants. They filed an application to stop the production of the plants to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, the Provincial Pandemic Boards, and the Ministry of Health.[19]
In October 2022, a Climate Justice Coalition made a press release, again demanding the closure of the Şırnak Silopi (CİNER) power station. They highlighted the environmental impact and economic burden of the project. Additonally, the coalition advocated for just transition and alternative employment initiatives.[20]
Environmental and social 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 old coal plants from 2019 until 2021.[21] The delay would have allowed Şırnak Silopi to continue to operate without a desulphurization system or modernised dust filters.[22]
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.[23] In May 2020, Greenpeace applied to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to shut down Şırnak Silopi 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.[23][24]
In July 2024, a Şırnak Ecology Platform representative stated that 8% of the region had been deforested since 2018, including the area surrounding Şırnak Silopi (CİNER) power station. He also stated that the power station was impacting agricultural productivity.[25]
In September 2024, reporting alleged that cancer rates in Silopi had increased since the power station began operating.[26]
In December 2024, a Social Service Workers' Union representative stated: "the thermal power plant in Silopi is not operated in a way that is suitable for human health" (Google translate). He also alleged that the power station had led to an increase in bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks, lung cancers and heart diseases.[27]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 665 bin 868 kisinin elektrigi silopi termik santralinden, Haberturk, Aug. 5, 2019
- ↑ Silopi Elektrik Üretim A.Ş., Ciner Group website, accessed May 2014.
- ↑ "Elektrik üretimi, doğalgaz ithalatını kısıtlıyor", HaberTürk Ekonomi, Mar. 9, 2013.
- ↑ Silopi Elektrik, Park Holding, accessed Nov 2015
- ↑ "Coal & Climate Change - 2017" (PDF). August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Company profile," Silopi Elektrik, accessed May 2016
- ↑ "SILOPI ELECTRIC," accessed Feb 2018
- ↑ "Silopi'nin Sağlığı Türkiye'nin Sağlığıdır", Bianet, Aug. 28, 2007.
- ↑ Silopi ve Şırnak'ta planlanan termik santraller protesto edildi, Fırat Haber Ajansı, Apr. 26, 2014.
- ↑ Silopi'de termik santral işçileri iş bıraktı, Ilke Haber, Sept. 18, 2013.
- ↑ Silopi'de 400 termik santral işçisi iş bıraktı, Haber 7, Sept. 18, 2013.
- ↑ “Silent Killers”, Banktrack, 2014.
- ↑ “Coal and Climate Change 2017 Report”, Önder Algedik, Translated by Google December 9, 2017.
- ↑ “Response to 56 Applications to Obtain Information from MoEU”, Ecology Collective, Translated by Google, April 9, 2018.
- ↑ “Turkish Parliament will vote about polluting coal power plants next week”, Health and Environment Alliance, February 1, 2019.
- ↑ “Phasing out coal in Europe by 2025”, AirClim, Feburary 2019.
- ↑ “In Silopi, the thermal power plant spreads the risk of cancer: we need to raise our voices”, Evrensel.net, Translated by Google, July 17, 2019.
- ↑ “Silopi Thermal Power Plant radiates poison”, Kizilbayrak45, Translated by Google, July 16, 2019.
- ↑ “Unfiltered thermal power plants should be closed during the coronavirus period”, Cumhuriyet, May 22, 2020.
- ↑ “İKLİM ADALETİ KOALİSYONU SİLOPİ TERMİK SANTRALİ BASIN AÇIKLAMASI”, Demokratiktoplum ve Emek, October 1, 2022.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Koronavirüs döneminde filtresiz termik santraller kapatılmalı, Cumhuriyet, May 22, 2020
- ↑ Isabelle Garretsen, How air pollution exacerbates Covid-19, BBC, Apr. 27, 2020
- ↑ Şırnak’ta ormanın yüzde 8’i yok edildi, Yeni Özgür Politika, July 18, 2024
- ↑ Şırnak: Vatandaşa yasaklı kent maden şirketlerinin talanına açıldı, Yeşil Gazete, September 18, 2024
- ↑ Botan’da halk sağlığı doğal katliamıyla tehdit altında, Yeni Yaşam Gazetesi, December 5, 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.
