Massive dash for coal in Turkey

Protest against a planned coal power station in Gerze, Turkey. Photo: Flickr.com/350.org/CC BY-NC-SA

Ignoring its significant solar power potential, Turkey is planning a huge increase in coal burning with up to 86 new coal-fired plants in the pipeline.

At least fifty new coal-fired power plants with a total installed capacity of 37,000 MW are currently planned to be built in Turkey. This would rank Turkey first among OECD countries investing in new coal capacity and fourth globally, behind only China, India and Russia.

Some projections even suggest up to 86 new coal plant projects, including those that are in the process of seeking permits and those that have failed the application process. By 2030, electricity generated from coal in Turkey is expected to almost triple, resulting in significantly increased emissions of air pollutants, including the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂).

These are some of the findings of a new report “Black clouds looming – How Turkey’s coal spree is threatening local economies on the Black Sea”, by CEE Bankwatch Network and Greenpeace Mediterranean.

While Turkey joined the Kyoto protocol in 2009 as an Annex I country, it refused to adopt any emission reduction targets in the protocol’s second commitment period (2013–2020). The country’s main climate mitigation actions are summarised in the Climate Change Action Plan and in several sectoral strategic plans, and include increasing the share of renewables in the electricity sector, decreasing energy intensity by 20 per cent over the period 2008–2023, and decreasing the rate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by seven per cent from a “business-as-usual” scenario.

Given that Turkish GHG emissions more than doubled between 1990 and 2010 and are projected to triple by 2020, a seven-per-cent reduction from the “business-as-usual” scenario is not ambitious enough.

Current GHG emissions total 422 million tonnes CO₂ equivalents (mtCO₂eq), an increase of 126 per cent when compared to 1990 levels. If government projections for increased coal use materialise, by 2023 the total annual emissions from new coal plants will be around 300 mtCO2eq.

Solar and geothermal targets are negligible in the Turkish energy plans. The 2023 target for installed capacity of solar power is only 3,000 MW (i.e. ten per cent of what Germany already possesses). This is despite Turkey’s huge solar thermal capacity potential, which is second best in Europe after Spain.

Some of the main findings of the report are that:

Energy alternatives like solar installations, integrated energy efficiency measures and small-scale renewable energy projects that serve local needs, promote energy independence and the diversification of Turkey’s energy sources, provide affordable energy, and create jobs more efficiently than developing coal power are neither analysed nor discussed at the policy or project levels;
Environmental impact assessments for the planned coal power plants are incomplete, as are assessments of the cumulative impacts of the facilities planned to serve the coal plants;
A strategic environmental assessment is missing for the power plants that expect approval for construction at both the national level and the regional level (13 coal plants are planned in the western Black Sea region within a distance of 70 kilometres from the coast);
Project promoters and responsible national authorities exhibit a disregard of public concerns and offer limited access to information about the environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed coal projects on local and national economies;
The involvement of international financial institutions lacks a strategy to address the challenges facing the Turkish energy mix, with significant offshoot impacts on their investments elsewhere in energy efficiency, renewables and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Christer Ågren

The report: Black clouds looming – How Turkey’s coal spree is threatening local economies on the Black Sea (October 2013). By CEE Bankwatch Network and Greenpeace Mediterranean.

In this issue

Air pollution levels still much too high

More than 95 per cent of the EU’s urban citizens are exposed to levels of PM_2.5 and ozone higher than the reference values recommended by the World Health Organization.

Editorial: The year of air

We are now approaching the end of 2013, the year declared by environment commissioner Janez Potočnik as the year of air and the year when the European Commission is to present its new clean air strategy.

Massive dash for coal in Turkey

Ignoring its significant solar power potential, Turkey is planning a huge increase in coal burning with up to 86 new coal-fired plants in the pipeline.

Proposal not enough to meet ship CO2 target

The EU must remove unreliable monitoring methods from the MRV, ensure transparency and agree on a market-based measure to meet its climate targets for the shipping sector.

Roadmap for less-polluting vehicles

In the absence of new policies, premature deaths from vehicle-related PM exposure in urban areas will increase by 50 per cent worldwide by 2030.

European emissions keep on slowly shrinking

Sulphur emissions show the biggest reductions, while there is much less improvement for ammonia and particulate matter. Cuts in land-based emissions are countered by rising emissions from international shipping.

Livestock behind 7.1 gigatonnes of GHGs

There is potential to decrease greenhouse gases from the livestock sector by as much as 30 per cent by just improving methods and techniques – this is the conclusion of a recent report from the FAO.

Climate policy targets for 2020 – is the EU on track?

The European Union as a whole has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 18-27 per cent between 1990 and 2012. To achieve 20 percent reductions by 2020 will be an easy walk.

Carbon dioxide causes 80% of global warming

Radiative forcing increased by 32 per cent between 1990 and 2012, of wich 25 per cent is due to carbon dioxide. The remaining is from other greenhouse gases.

Global warming unequivocal

The first IPPC carbon budget to limit global warming to 2 degrees will be exceeded in three decades with current rate of carbon dioxide emissions.

Anti-coal movement in Europe is growing

New coal power stations are planned to be built around Europe, but there is also growing resistance in many countries including Germany, Poland and Czech Republic.

Watered down car deal

A one-year delay in implementation and an extension of super credits was the result when member states and the European Parliament renegotiated a CO₂ deal for cars.

Energy, climate and air quality policy synergies

Significant co-benefits can be realised for health, ecosystems and the economy by linking climate change policies with those for air pollution control and energy security.

Main menu

Massive dash for coal in Turkey

In this issue

Air pollution levels still much too high

Editorial: The year of air

Massive dash for coal in Turkey

Proposal not enough to meet ship CO2 target

Roadmap for less-polluting vehicles

European emissions keep on slowly shrinking

Livestock behind 7.1 gigatonnes of GHGs

Climate policy targets for 2020 – is the EU on track?

Carbon dioxide causes 80% of global warming

Global warming unequivocal

Anti-coal movement in Europe is growing

Watered down car deal

Energy, climate and air quality policy synergies

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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