The Difference of the Newcomer

Dear Energy Professional, Dear Colleagues,

Your writer knows that it is too early to make a sound assessment of performance or any critique of the new MENR Minister.

However we have some small positive indications. These indications can be appreciated if you could inspect the Ministry web site www.enerji.gov.tr

- Earlier, MENR web site was like a personal blog page with Minister's CV, his press releases, speeches, etc
- Now that portion is kept more reasonable.
- You can read CVs of former Ministers.
- You can read more news on national scale, more documents, final or in draft format on Energy environment,
- You can reach to new draft Strategy Document in the MENR web site, although it is only in Turkish language yet
- MENR web page English section is under construction
- Every Minister works with his/her own team, which means, own reliable experts/ consultants/ secretarial posts, driver, and guards. All these jobs are changed.
- Now the top ministerial posts, general managers, Undersecretary Posts are in consideration. It is expected to be on merit basis not only religious/ party loyalty.
- New Minister is graduate of Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Electric Electronical Engineering in year 1985. So he knows electric and energy business.
- There is an ongoing ministerial work that EMRA will be restructured and hence hydrocarbon section could be separated in a different identity.
- Afsin-Elbistan-A thermal power plant new rehabilitation tender is on track
- Afsin Elbistan C-D thermal power plants will be tendered as long term leasing of coal fields and power plant scheme
- "Amil-i Mutehassis/ Expert OEM Owner/Designer" contracts with no competitive tendering will be terminated due to high rumors of corruption. They will not be repeated any more from now on.
- Upon news for corruption charges in Sivas Kangal coal mines due to lump sum coal sales without competitive tendering, he says that public purchase without competitive tendering is not possible. Good point to continue.
- Soma-B, TuncBilek, SeyitOmer, Catalagzi-B rehabilitations will be reopened this time to competitive tendering in international scale.
- Nuclear tender will be completed, in one way or another. It is too delicate/ too sensitive issue. We do not know how it will be finalized.
- His new Undersecretary is expected to be the existing Chairman of the Privatization. That means there will be acceleration in privatization of generation plants in future.
- Minister is expected to deliver a speech in Washington DC annual ATC conference. However it is reported that there is not much high post American audience.
- Minister had many foreign travels in a very short period of time as if he wishes to prove that it is possible to manage the Ministry without being physically in Ankara. He may be right.

We expect new and better initiatives from our new Minister,

In getting compliance with Kyoto protocol in this hard world of global warming,
More utilization of local coal/ wind/ hydro resources,
More thermal power plants designed / constructed and operated by local companies,
Utilized with clean coal technologies
i.e. Circulating Fluid Bed (CFB), Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC),
firing more of local low quality lignite,
More emphasis on national energy supply security,
More professional education and creation of engineering backbone in nuclear technology,
More green employment in green technology.

We wish all the best and success to our new Minister in his hard mission to construct more power plants, to attract more new investments in energy business, and to generate more energy in our country in future.

Your comments are always welcome.
Haluk Direskeneli, Ankara based Energy Analyst