climate@banktrack.org
climate@banktrack.org
The planned construction of the Kınık Coal Power Plant will adversely impact both people and planet. Land is already being expropriated for the plant, which will emit more than 130 million tonnes of CO2 into the air, negatively impacting public health and worsening climate change.
The Paris Climate Agreement goals require a managed decline of fossil fuel production. The construction of new coal-fired power plants is not compatible with this goal. Banks must immediately stop financing new coal-fired power plant developments anywhere in the world. As such, banks should steer clear of financing this project.
| Sectors | Coal Electric Power Generation , Coal Mining |
| Location |
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| Status |
Cancelled
Design
Agreement
Construction
Operation
Closure
Decommission
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| Website | http://www.polyakeynez.com/ |
The Kınık Coal Power Plant, also known as the Eynez Power Station, is a proposed 700-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the Izmir province. Polyak Eynez is the project developer.
The project, which is expected to cost USD 1 billion, also includes plans for the construction of a coal mine in Elmadere. This village lies adjacent to Soma, the location of a coal mine disaster in 2014. The coal power plant is planned for construction in Değirmencieli village (in the Kinik district of Izmir province).
Health If the Kınık Coal Power Plant becomes operational it will exacerbate already existing air pollution and threaten public health. In the province of Izmir, the annual average of PM10 emissions is above limits set by WHO, the EU and Turkish regulations as hazardous to human health. The Kınık Coal Power Plant will worsen this situation.
Land expropriation The districts in which the coal mine and power plant will be built are already affected and traumatised by mines and mining, having caused the death of 301 mine workers in Soma. Despite this, agricultural, forest and pasture land is being expropriated for the new coal power plant and mine.
Working conditions Miners in Turkey are working under dire circumstances. Even before two major incidents occurred in Turkey (the Soma accident in 2014 and the Ermenek accident in 2014), Turkey recorded more deaths per millions of tonnes mined than China or the United States. The working conditions in the Kınık mine were reported to be very bad, with miners working 10 hours per day for 7 days per week.
Greenhouse gas emissions Electricity demand in Turkey is rapidly increasing, and the power industry is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Kınık Coal Power Plant is expected to emit 113.9 million tonnes of CO2 in its lifetime. If the power plant starts operating, there will be three coal power plants in a 20 kilometre radius with a total capacity of 2,441 MW. These three plants will burn 6.5 million tonnes of coal per year, thereby heavily contributing to climate change.
Ash Turkey's lignite coal produces a great amount of ash. Toxic elements within this ash pollute the air and soil, and could leak into groundwater. The Kınık coal mine and power plant are located in the midst of four villages that will be affected by the ash of the plant. Taken together with the two other coal power plants that are projected to be in operation in the area, 6.2 million tonnes of coal ash will be produced in the area annually.
Water pollution The province of Izmir has multiple rivers constituting important water basins. The Soma coal power plant and the coal washing facilities in Soma are closely located to the source of one of these rivers, and are polluting the entire basin. The planned Kınık Coal Power Plant would also be located on the course of this river, and would therefore worsen these issues.
Turkish bank Garanti BBVA is expected to be involved in financing the Kınık Coal Power Plant as the bank still heavily finances Turkish coal power plants (Garanti BBVA website).
Polyak Eynez is the owner of the Kınık coal project. The company is established through a partnership between Polat Mining and Zhejian Provincial Energy Group. In 2014, Fina Enerji Holding bought 70% of Polat Mining’s shares in Polyak Eynez.
According to the Coal Exit Tracker the Kinik coal power plant has been cancelled.
According to Global Energy Monitor, the Kınık coal power plant was permitted as of June 2020.
