As of early 2004, Turkey had electric power generati ng capacity of around 32,000 megawatts (MW), and was building 13,000 MW more. With a young and growing population, low per capita electricity consumption, rapid urbanization and generally strong economic growth, Turkey for nearly two decades has been one of the fastest growing power markets in the world. Stili, the government anticipates the need for significant increases in power generating capacity in coming years, requiring billions of dollars in toreign investment. The IMF and World Bank are pressing Turkey to move towards rapid privatization of the country's power sector in order to increase efficiency and to relieve pressure on the government's budget situation. To date, privatization has been slowed by lack of investor interest, as well as economic and political uncertainty, according to a study by a U.K.-based consulting firm (Oxford Analytica) which recently completed a report on the Turkish power sector. in February 2004, Germany's STEAG, a subsidiary of RAG, announced that it had completed construction on a $1.5 billion, 1,210-MW, coal-fired power plant near lskenderun, in southern Turkey. The plant, which represents the largest foreign direct investment ever by a German company in Turkey, is expected to burn 3.3 million metric tons of imported coal per year. Aside from this large coal-fired facility, Turkey is mainly focused on increased natura! gas use for thermal electric power production. Several pipeline projects have been proposed to supply gas to these facilities, as well as several LNG terminals. in addition, BOTAS is expanding its natura! gas transmission network along the Black Sea and the Aegean. in addition to increasing domestically generated electricity through construction of new power plants, Turkey is looking outside its borders to help meet the country's growing power demand. in December 2003, tor instance, Turkey began importing 300 million kilowatthours (kwh) per year of power trom Turkmenistan (via ıran), with plans to double this to 600 million kwh. Turkey reportedly is paying 3.35 cents per kwh for the power, a lower price than it pays tor power imports from Bulgaria. in April 2003, Turkey announced that it was unilaterally terminating power deliveries from Bulgaria, after declaring that Bulgaria had not met its obligations under a 1998 bilateral, 10year energy agreement. Again in February 2004, Turkey again stated that it would stop purchases of power from Bulgaria, this time, reportedly, due to Bulgaria's failure to grant highway and dam contracts to Turkish contractors as provided for in a bilateral power irade agreement. Besides Bulgaria and Turkmenistan, Turkey also imports power from Russia (via Georgia) and ıran. Turkey has significant hydroelectric power resources (more GÜNCEUAGENDA than 104 total plants, instal led capacity over 10.2 GW), and is developing a great deal more, especially as part of the $32 billion Southeast Anatolia -- GAP -- hydropower and irrigation project. When completed, GAP, which is considered one of the most ambitious water development projects ever undertaken, will include 21 dams, 19 hydro plants (with around 7.5 GW of power generating capacity), and a network of tunnels and irrigation canals. Turkey is considered to have a large amount of wind, geothermal, and solar power potential. Potential tor wind power may be as high as 120,000 MW, with particularly attractive areas for wind located along Turkey's west coast and in southeastern Anatolia. Solar energy is mainly used for roof-top hot water. Geothermal energy potential is estimated at around 35 GW. in March 2004, the World Bank granted Turkey a $200 million Energy Reform Loan to encourage the use of renewable energy in the country. Turkey's explosive economic growth in the mid-1990s had significant repercussions on the country's environment. Economic growth and energy consumption have gone hand-inhand, and the effect has been an increasing air pollution in cities that are already suffering from high pollution levels. Although Turkey is beginning to lake steps to improve air quality (including a switch towards unleaded gasoline by 2005), the increased number of automobiles on Turkish streets is hampering this effort. Of special concern to Turkey is the threat of marine pollution, especially from oil transport through the narrow Bosporus Straits. The 12-mile passage is already one of the most difficult in the world to navigate, and increased shipping--from oil and gas imports flowing into Turkey, as well as increased Russian shipping from the Black Sea through the Straits to world markets--raise the possibility of an accident. Collisions in the Straits have resulted in large oil spills, and additional oil shipping from the Caspian Sea region via the Black Sea and the Bosporus could put the lstanbul area at further environmental risk. lndustrial production has meant that Turkey's carbon emissions are on the rise, and Turkey has signed the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change on 24 th May, 2004. Compared to other lnternational Energy Agency countries, Turkey's energy and carbon intensities are low, but per capita energy consumption and per capita carbon emissions are trending upwards. Turkey has substantial renewable energy resources- especially hydroelectric power--and it is currently constructing a series of dams and hydroelectric power plants. As Turkey looks towards possible European Union membership, it will need to continue utilizing this cleaner energy as a means to achieve sustainable economic development. Turkey also has a great degree of potential tor energy efficiency improvements. "Kojenerasyon: Yüksek Verim, Temiz Çevre, Enerjide Yeniden Yapılanma" ♦ ENERJİ & KOJENERASYON OÜNYASI I 37
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