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) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
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 [100%] | Elsan Elektrik AŞ |
| Unit 2 | Yatagan Termik Santrali [100%] | Elsan Elektrik AŞ |
| Unit 3 | Yatagan Termik Santrali [100%] | Elsan Elektrik AŞ |
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]
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.[11] The delay would have allowed Yatağan to continue to operate without a desulphurization system or modernised dust filters.[12] In November 2019 the Turkish Parliament approved a bill to extend the deadline for stronger emissions standards to 2021.[13] 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".[14]
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.[15] 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.[16]
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.[17] 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.[17][18]
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.[19]
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.[20]
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.[21]
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.[22] 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.[23]
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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 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
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.
