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Impact assessment report on geothermal development in Turkey

Impact assessment report on geothermal development in Turkey Report title page, screenshot
Alexander Richter 18 May 2021

EBRD has released the extensive final Cumulative Impact Assessment report on impacts of existing and planned geothermal plants and activities in Turkey.

Within the scope of the technical cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of the Republic of Turkey and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with the financial support provided by the European Union to the EBRD, the “Turkey: Development of Cumulative Impact Assessment of Geothermal Resources” project was launched.

The report now released in its final format, evaluates cumulative impacts of existing and planned geothermal energy power plants in regional basis, development of strategic plans for the sustainable use of geothermal resources, providing effective use of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and development of environmental and social policies and assisting with the implementation of recommended policies. The 400+ pages report is extensive and provides an incredibly detailed look into geothermal energy development and utilization in Turkey.  We previously reported on the release of the draft report.

With the outputs of the project; it is aimed to provide support to competent authorities, project developers and investors (including lenders) to minimize environmental and social impacts of geothermal resources use and to assess the limitations to be considered when developing projects. The main objectives of the project are as follows;

  • To identify and evaluate the potential environmental impacts of any activity in the implementation of geothermal power plants and limitations on the use of natural resources,
  • To provide necessary information to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization (MoEU) and other stakeholders to examine the adequacy of environmental and social assessment factors in the implementation of the strategic plans and policies on geothermal resource use,
  • To assess how technical, environmental and social challenges are managed and to provide strategic recommendations on how to minimize potential negative impacts and increase positive impacts regarding the use of sustainable geothermal resources.

The outputs of the Project:

1. The Best Practice Guide – This brochure will provide a practical guidance to the Ministry (MoEU), local authorities, developers and lenders on how to develop project and what mitigation measures to be consider.

2. The final Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) report – A Cumulative Impact Assessment report assesses the possible environmental and socio-economic impacts of the existing and planned geothermal power plants and other activities on the valuable environmental resources in the Project area. Final document – in Turkish (pdf) and in English (pdf)

3. Report on Public Consultation – Concise report; summarizing this consultation process of the CIA document and results of the meetings.

The reports can be downloaded via the link below (available both in Turkish and English).

Source: Jeotermal ETKI