The “Akbelen case”: How to Handle the Dilemma Between Energy Needs, Environmental Requirements, and International Obligations? – Mehmet Öğütçü

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Before
we start discussing the Akbelen case in detail, it should be said from the
outset that we cannot waste hundreds of years of forest stock, water and
agricultural resources, tourism values, archaeological heritage, and our
people’s well-being just to provide energy production resources.

It
is tough to understand the further expansion of the lignite deposits in the
Akbelen case to feed coal-fired thermal power plants, let alone the gradual
exit from coal in line with the “Carbon Zero” 2053 target and commitments.

As
a matter of fact, the sin is not a new one. Installing three coal-fired thermal
power plants (including Yatağan) on this lush coastline was a mind-boggling
strategic planning mistake. So, the button was fastened wrong from the
beginning.

Seriously
damaging the ecosystem

It
is possible for more solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and even natural gas
resources to replace thermal power plants (over time), supplemented by storage
and energy efficiency as needed. But I would like to point out that there is no
immediate solution on the horizon apart from shutting down the power plants,
converting their boilers to process other fuels, quickly putting green energy
into operation, or sending excess electricity from other regions.

With
the existing tree massacre, coal extraction from the area to be opened, and
letting the current power plants continue their operations will seriously
damage our invaluable ecosystem, which will take centuries to replace. Akbelen
is vital as it is a rain catchment basin for the region’s agriculture.
Following the cutting of the forest, the coal mines, which are planned to be
developed, may also adversely affect the region’s agriculture. It is understood
that not only Milas but also Bodrum’s (already limited) drinking water
resources are at the risk line.

Companies
are targeted, but not the government that grants the permission

We
know that the plundering of the country’s resources is not limited only to
Akbelen. Today, similar scenes are experienced in all regions and villages in
Turkey. Some are quarries, some are granite or marble, some are gold and silver
mines, and some are hydroelectric power plants like Hasankeyf – they have
mercilessly destroyed our habitats, historical heritage, and eco-climates.

Interestingly,
although these power plants are taken over from the state, and the state issues
all licenses, the criticism arrows are directed in considerable measure to the
operators of the power plants, Limak and IC İÇTAŞ. The co-responsible
regulatory state, however, chooses to remain silent, and the opposition’s
response is poor. It is necessary to be careful against social media, which
plays a vital role in publicizing the “Akbelen case” in the broadest
way, for political manipulation by some.

Efforts
to clear the forest will shoot us all in the heel. This will have profound
international repercussions for Turkey and the companies carrying out these
actions.

Coal
power plants can be converted

Saving
Akbelen from politicization with an intelligent strategy can set an example for
other cases, and it can contribute significantly to our green transformation
efforts, the well-being of the people of the region, and our ability to face
international reactions that will bring us down in the league of environment
and climate change.

If
necessary, instead of eliminating forest areas for coal resources, these
thermal power plants (although they are far from an alternative to a base load
power plant of this scale) should be turned green with international funds
within a specific calendar. In the short term, with modifications to the power plant
boilers designed for regional coal, the use of other coal sources should be
made possible.

Now
the genie is out of the lamp; Neither the state nor companies have the luxury
of acting as if nothing had happened.

There’s
no need for a conflictual situation. At the point where the country’s interests
and ecological balances require, it is a virtue to turn back from the wrong
path.

At
the same time, special efforts should be made to ensure that those who do not
comprehend the backdrop of the electricity generation process, and those who
consume electricity generously without being aware of its source, see the other
side of the coin.

Where
will we find the energy?

We
often hear from environmental massacre lobbies, “They are against coal,
nuclear, wind turbines, hydroelectric power plants, and natural gas pipelines.
Well, how will we meet this country’s rapidly increasing energy needs?” The
question remains unanswered.

As
someone who has devoted decades of work to energy issues and contributed to
energy security and creative solutions worldwide, I can say this is the wrong
question.

Of
course, we must ensure our energy needs and uninterrupted supply security, but
by reducing foreign dependency as much as possible, narrowing down our current
account deficit, realizing green transformation away from fossil fuels, putting
energy efficiency into greater use, and developing new technologies and
financial models.

We
can always procure energy from different sources by paying whatever the cost.
But it will take hundreds of years to regain the ecological balance and natural
heritage that will be eroded, and we cannot see them for generations. We must
hold this essential truth above all other facts, not only for the Akbelen case
but for all the assets of our country.

While
promising to reduce coal

Especially
at a time when efforts are being made to transition to green energy all over
the world to combat the global climate crisis and restrict the production and
use of coal within the framework of “Zero Carbon” international
obligations, and gradually closing thermal power plants are among the priority
targets.

A
few months later (30 November – 12 December 2023), Turkey is expected to update
its greenhouse gas emission reduction target before the COP28 United Nations
Climate Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Let
alone accelerating efforts in this direction, forests, and olive groves are cut
down, agriculture and water basins are destroyed, villages are wiped off the
map, and archaeological heritage is destroyed to meet the coal needs of thermal
power plants in Turkey.

There
is no justification for energy or precious metal production in our country,
which already has a grossly deteriorated ecological balance, faces increasingly
green poverty, and is at a high risk of desertification, about half of its
surface area (48.6 percent: current situation 25.5 percent + potential 23.1
percent). Nothing can justify further deforestation. Especially the fact that
the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, responsible for protecting nature, signed
this destruction license is incredible and difficult to explain.

Important
but transformable

The
first unit of Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant was commissioned in 1993. In 2014,
the Yeniköy Thermal Power Plant, another public enterprise, was transferred to
the İÇTAŞ Energy partnership of Limak, headed by Nihat Özdemir and İbrahim
Çeçen. After that date, although belatedly, despite the criticism that it was insufficient,
a specific chimney treatment investment was made, facilities were tamed to
adapt to the environment, and efficiency was increased to produce more
electricity with less coal—Caesar’s right to Caesar.

Yeniköy-Kemerköy
Power Plants, with a total installed power of 1,095 MW, meet a small portion of
approximately 1 percent of our country’s electricity capacity (104,904 MW as of
June 2023). The domestic lignite source used in the power plants also provides
some savings in natural gas imports.

As
a matter of fact, it is not a “must-have” reality for Turkey. It is easy to meet
this rate quickly with energy efficiency improvements that will save up to 30
percent. If the information provided by the company is correct, the power
plants (as well as the new ones being built) maintain their vital importance
for this region, as they supply approximately a sizeable 62 percent of the
electricity used in the South Aegean.

Woodland
turned to the lunar surface

When
you look at the photos and video footage, people rebel. Thousands of hectares
of land have already been converted to the lunar surface to supply lignite coal
to their thermal power plants. New cuts are on the way. Suppose Akbelen is
included in the 220 thousand-decare coalfields. In that case, there is a risk
that İkizköy and other villages will be liquidated if the villager and
environmentalist resistance do not yield results and the state and companies do
not intervene immediately.

However,
we must remember that this ecological forest area serves not only energy but,
more importantly, more vital public benefits from water resources to
agricultural production, from tourism to health and oxygen corridor.

The
company is doing it wrong

Yeniköy-Kemerköy
Elektrik Üretim ve Ticaret A.Ş (YK Energy) responded to the reactions that they
produced 51 billion kWh of electricity from lignite coal between 2015-2022,
that the company has underground coal reserves of 156 million tons. It also
stated that it needed to extract the lignite reserve under the Akbelen Forest.
Considering the license area of 23,307 hectares, the 78-hectare Akbelen Forest
covers a tiny area, it argued.

The
statement also states that “if mining activities do not continue in the Akbelen
forest area, electricity production at our power plant will have to stop within
2024”.

From
my point of view, the company, making a grave mistake, still looks at the
Akbelen case through the glasses of supplying coal to the power plants,
ignoring the real reason for the reactions, while the images of women hugging
trees and the gendarmerie and the police spraying pepper gas are circulating.

As
far as I can see, companies do not perform well in this regard in terms of
strategic communication. It is not possible to quell this rising reaction with
press releases. They must develop a realistic alternative vision extending to
the medium term in cooperation with the state.

The
energy-coal-forest nexus

Of
course, we should all act together to prevent ecological disasters. We are hand
in hand, but we also need to underline this fact in the context of
energy-coal-forest.

Our
country is heavily dependent on foreign oil and natural gas. On the other hand,
in terms of coal source and production amounts, it is at the middle level in
lignite and the lower level in hard coal (anthracite). 5.5 percent of the world’s
total proven lignite resource, approximately 3.4 percent of lignite and
sub-bituminous coal resources, and approximately 1.1 percent of the total world
coal resources, including anthracite, are in Turkey. Private sector companies
control 41.7 percent of lignite resources, EUAŞ 44.73 percent, and TKİ 10.87
percent.

There
are 405 MW asphaltite, 10,374 MW imported coal, 10,191 MW lignite, and 841 MW
hard coal power plants within the electricity installed power of the country.

Coal
is “domestic and national,” but…

In
other words, coal power plants have a substantial share in the total installed
power of our country. The average is 21 percent. Coal has been maintaining its
importance for years as a “domestic and national” energy source in our country.
Hence, it’s not a new problem. Creating a solution quickly from today to
tomorrow does not also seem easy.

The
Turkish National Energy Plan published in December 2022 foresaw a “1.7 GW
domestic coal power plant will be added to the system by 2030, considering the
problems and difficulties encountered in the reserve development process of the
existing planned fields in our country.”

It
should be noted that there are over 2,400 coal-fired thermal power plants with
a total installed power of 2,100 GW, not only in Turkey but also in 79
countries worldwide. Therefore, this grave coal problem is a headache not only
for us but also for many countries, notably China, India, Russia, the USA, and
Poland.

“Green
Deal” and access to finance

Let’s
keep the priority of “domestic and national” resources hot on the
agenda as much as we want. Yet, we cannot stay out of the green transformation
and clean fuels trend gaining strength worldwide. The mentality of “what
is with us stays with us; you cannot intervene from the outside” is no
longer valid, especially on climate change issues. Just as human rights
violations and acts of genocide have become international crimes, policies and breaches
that lead to further climate change will increasingly be subject to
international sanctions with binding political and economic consequences.

As
in the European Union’s Green Deal, trade barriers, difficulties in accessing
finance, and political pressures will come one after another. Countries and
companies that do not comply will most certainly face the risk of being
isolated.

In
addition to ecological reasons, we must reckon that archaeological excavations
were also carried out in the region in question, and finds such as a Byzantine
church, many tombs, and oil houses were located. The lawsuit to declare the area
an archaeological site was dismissed at the end of 2022.

Therefore,
its echoes have not yet been reflected in the interior, but there will likely
be intense reactions from the international community to this green destruction
in Akbelen before long. Severe sanctions may be imposed not only on the
government that gave the license and condoned the destruction of nature but
also on the IC İÇTAŞ energy partnership (as well as their companies in other
sectors), which carries out the destruction with the motive of commercial
gains.

In
any case, the priority should be nature. Those who try to draw a similarity between
the “Akbelen case” and the Gezi Park protests should listen to their conscience
and support the efforts of protecting our country’s nature and archaeological
heritage entrusted to us with a non-partisan approach. Nobody should try to
derive political gains from this situation.

Of
course, it is necessary to look at the other side of the coin, understand the
perspectives of coal producers and power plant operators, and consider their
interests reasonably. But under no circumstances shall we allow the felling of
forests, the destruction of water and agricultural lands. Commercial losses can
be compensated by government financial and policy support and subsidies if
necessary. Whatever the price, it must be paid, in a transparent and
accountable way, even in the current economic crisis.

Akbelen
case may be a milestone

The
“Akbelen case” may create a new milestone. The impact of coal-fired power
plants on the environment and climate change, and the fact that lignite is
among the most polluting sources, oblige us to accelerate clean energy (which
has already reached 54 percent of the installed electricity capacity) efforts,
including nuclear. In the process that started with the Paris Climate Agreement,
Turkey’s roadmap to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and to
bring its emissions closer to zero is now of particular importance.

Companies
in Akbelen, which try to be hampered by non-governmental organizations and
local villagers, fail to show a convincing performance regarding ethical
values, social and environmental responsibility, sensitivity to green, and
environmental impact analysis. This means they are willing to pay financial
costs, harming themselves and losing their reputation as an international
business partner for their current and future projects.

Loss
of sustainability and reputation

I
recommend that these energy companies of our country reconsider their
statements and commitments on “sustainability,” develop a comprehensive
strategy of engagement with stakeholders, and put forward a coordinated
schedule with the government for the transition from coal to other fuels and
the use of advanced technology towards this end.

Otherwise,
the possibility of losing their reputation and even being blacklisted not only
in Turkey but also in the global league (not only in energy but also in other
sectors) is a real one.

In
all these problems, the state’s regulatory role, which has made strategic
mistakes from the past to the present, should also be questioned. Lessons
should be learned from the Akbelen case, and the country’s energy production,
transmission, distribution, and consumption maps should be arranged in a more
environmentally-climate-friendly and efficient way.

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The original version of this article was published in YetkinReport

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To cite this work: Mehmet Öğütçü, “The “Akbelen Case”: How To Handle The Dilemma Between Energy Needs, Environmental Requirements, And International Obligations?”, Panorama, Online, 19 August 2023, https://www.uikpanorama.com/blog/2023/08/19/mo-2/

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