Turkey: We need to clarify the actual installed power

Today, we will bring important figure to the energy market employees. The recently announced installed power generation is 85,200 megawatts. We have peak figure - as of August 2017 - it is around 49-50 thousand MWe. The national grid system is having difficulties in supply electricity in case of local demand above 50,000 MWe. One other calculation is as follows. As of 2017, Turkey generated 300 billion Kwh electricity. If you divide that figure into total number of hours per year (8760 hours), you get an average figure of 34 thousand MWe.

There are thermal power plants that have not been operated in 85.200 MWe. There are power plants that have not generated electricity at all for the last 9-10 years. There are hydroelectric power plants which are not in operation.

There are solar power plants operating at 2500 hours a year and wind farms operating at 3000 hours a year. Availabilities of these plants are low but they are added in full capacity in installed power.

Idle power plants are not deducted from inventory list. What is the reason? Those public workers on official duty do not talk, but retirees are commenting. A long and fruitless procedure is required. Decision of political will, official decree is required for deduction.

Hopa thermal power plant has not been in operation for the last 10 years. Tunçbilek Thermal Power Plant's 1-2 units have not been in operation for the last 15 years and it is doubtful that they will be able to work after that. Two units of Afşin-A Thermal Power Plant have not been working for the last 10 years. Other units do not reach to full capacity. Afşin-B Thermal Power Plant repair is completed after the fire during maintenance.

Hamitabat old 1154 MWe combined cycle thermal power plant is not running and do not operate at full load. It does not work at all because a new plant has been rebuilt nearby from scratch and is on. But the old one still appears on the installed power list.

If you collect the power of power plants that are not working or are not taken out of inventory because of the prolonged procedure, you are doing a great miscalculation. When talking about the total installed capacity, you take into account this situation, you need use actual figures.

The same situation also had used for visible- total proven coal reserves in Turkey. Fortunately, the actual proven capacity figure was finally corrected by the responsible public organization.

International companies, international organizations (World Bank, International Energy Agency IEA, especially the US DOE and EIA) interested in our market make this improvement for us.

They keep our installed power in more realistic numbers. We hope that we will make the necessary corrections in the near future, and we will not continue to mislead ourselves, we will be realistic.

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Haluk Direskeneli, is a graduate of METU Mechanical Engineering department (1973). He worked in public, private enterprises, USA Turkish JV companies (B&W, CSWI, AEP), in fabrication, basic and detail design, marketing, sales and project management of thermal power plants. He is currently working as freelance consultant/ energy analyst with thermal power plants basic/ detail design software expertise for private engineering companies, investors, universities and research institutions. He is a member of ODTÜ Alumni and Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers Energy Working Group.

This article is written for "EurasiaReview" web site release.

Ankara March 26, 2018

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