The government of Turkey is set to reintroduce incentives and environmental exemptions for coal-fired power plants, Hürriyet Daily News reported. The measures were cancelled by the Constitutional Court over ecological concerns.
The draft law will pave the way for all privatized coal-fired power plants to be exempted from environmental regulations until 2020, the portal reported. These power plants will also be able to benefit from renewable energy incentives when power shortage emerges.
The draft law will pave the way for all privatized coal-fired power plants to be exempted from environmental regulations until 2020.
Chamber of Environmental Engineers head Baran Bozoğlu is critical of the move, describing it as a threat to public health. “If this draft is approved and becomes law, there will be no need for any coal-fired power plant to install filtration systems or to dispose of their waste properly. Coal-fired power plants are outdated and threaten public health and the environment,” he added.
The Turkish government tries to increase its coal-fired power generation in a bid to reduce dependence on imported resources. In line with the government’s plans, 90 coal-fired power plant projects are underway with the aim of adding 18.5 GW installed power capacity by 2023.
