Çayırhan power station

Çayırhan power station
Map
Country
  • Turkey
Coordinates40°05′49″N 31°41′42″E / 40.097°N 31.695°E / 40.097; 31.695
StatusOperational
Commission date
  • 1987
Thermal power station
Primary fuel
Power generation
Nameplate capacity
  • 620 MW
Annual net output
  • 1,935 GWh (2021)
  • 2,353 GWh (2022)
  • 2,893 GWh (2020)
  • 4,312 GWh (2019)
External links
Websitewww.euas.gov.tr/tr-TR/santraller/termik-santraller
[edit on Wikidata]

Çayırhan power station is a 620 MW operational coal fired power station in Turkey in Ankara Province.[1] In 2019 land was expropriated for another lignite mine, to feed the a proposed extension, which was opposed as uneconomic and eventually had its licence revoked.[2][3]

History

[edit]

In 2017 the government privatized the Çayırhan-B lignite coalfield on condition a coal-fired power plant is built, in the hope that it would be the first of a wave of similar deals for various lignite coalfields around the country.[4]

Ownership

[edit]

The project was a joint venture between Kolin, Kalyon and Çelikler.[5] But in 2020 the licence expired and as of 2024 it belongs to EÜAŞ with a different licence number.[6]

Finance

[edit]

An extension was proposed at an estimated cost of $1.1-billion but was not done.[5]

Subsidies

[edit]

The government is giving a 15-year purchase guarantee.[5]

Economics

[edit]

The winning consortium bid $60.4 per megawatt, but according to opponents of the extension expanding Turkey's solar power would save taxpayers money in the long term.[2]

Employment

[edit]

The company said it would employ 500 people in the plant and 1,500 for coal mining.[5]

Coal supply

[edit]
See also: Coal in Turkey

As Turkish lignite is heavy compared to its energy content coal must be sourced locally. According to one source Çayırhan is a longwall mine (therefore underground),[7] but Global Energy Monitor says it is opencast. Coalfields in Ankara province include Beypazarı-Çayırhan, Gölbaşı-Karagedik, Gölbaşı-Bahçeköy, Ayaş-Kayıbucak and Şereflikoçhisar.[4]

Environmental Impact

[edit]

Despite the environmental impact assessment having been approved opponents of the extension claim the environment will be damaged.

Dust

[edit]

As of 2020 the plant is operating with inadequate dust filters[8] and Turkey has no legal limit on ambient fine particules (PM2.5). Opponents claim that Nallıhan bird sanctuary, 6 km away, could be damaged.[2]

Sulfur Dioxide

[edit]

As of 2020 the plant is operating with inadequate sulfur treatment,[9][8] and the area is a sulfur dioxide air pollution hotspot[10]

Nitrogen oxides

[edit]

As of 2020 the plant is operating without sufficient NOx filtering.[8]

Greenhouse gases

[edit]

After extension the power station would contribute an estimated 4 megatonnes (Mt) a year to Turkey's greenhouse gas emissions.[2] As Turkey has no carbon emission trading it would not be economically viable to capture and store the gas.[11]

Opposition

[edit]

The Chamber of Mechanical Engineers has questioned why the existing plant was granted a 2020 operating license without meeting air pollution standards.[8] Opponents include Ankara 350.org and singer Tarkan.[2]

In 2022 the NGO Climate Change, Policy, and Research Association alleged that the power station did not comply with flue gas regulations, was burning coal from a mine which did not have a permit, and risked collapsing.[12]: 30 [13][14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "EMBA Electricity Production Co. Inc". EMBA Elektrik Üretim A.Ş. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Çevrecilerin karşı çıktığı proje için 'acele kamulaştırma' kararı". Gazete Duvar. 16 April 2019.
  3. ^ Birliği -, Ekoloji (2021-03-15). "13 termik santral ve HES projesinin enerji üretim lisansı iptal edilip sonlandırıldı". Ekoloji Birliği (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  4. ^ a b "Ankara". Coal in Turkey. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "$1.1 billion investment planned in coal plant". Daily Sabah. 7 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Bakan Bayraktar açıkladı! Yerli kömür üretiminde hedef 6 milyon ton" (in Turkish). 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  7. ^ "Coal production in Turkey and major projects". Mining Technology. 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  8. ^ a b c d "MMO Başkanı, Termik Santraller İle İlgili Bir Basın Açıklaması Yaptı". Enerji Portalı (in Turkish). 24 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Baskı sonuç verdi: Filtresiz termik santrallere izin çıkmadı | DW | 15.02.2019". DW.COM (in Turkish). Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  10. ^ "Global SO2 emission hotspot database" (PDF). Greenpeace. August 2019.
  11. ^ Esmaeili, Danial (June 2018). Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage in the Context of Turkish Energy Market (PDF). Sabancı University.
  12. ^ Boom and Bust Coal 2023 (Report). Global Energy Monitor. 2023-04-05.
  13. ^ "İklim Değişikliği Politika ve Araştırma Derneği". iklimdernegi.org. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  14. ^ "İklim Değişikliği Politika ve Araştırma Derneği". iklimdernegi.org. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
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