List of active coal-fired power stations in Turkey


, there are 47 coal-fired power stations in Turkey which generate to the grid a third of the nation's electricity. Coal-fired power stations emit over 1 kg of carbon dioxide for every kilowatt hour generated, over twice that of gas-fired power stations, and are the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey. Although the stations' total capacity is 17 gigawatts, almost half are smaller than 100 MW and provide electricity, and often heat, to factories.
Lignite is mined locally, whereas almost all hardcoal is imported; 69 and 22 million tonnes respectively in 2019. To minimize transport costs, power stations burning imported coal are usually located on the coast: there are clusters in Çanakkale and Zonguldak provinces and around Iskenderun Bay, and 31.7 million tonnes of was imported in 2019. Those burning lignite tend to be near local coalmines, such as Elbistan, because Turkish lignite's calorific value is less than 12.5 MJ/kg so is not worth transporting. Lignite-burning power stations have priority over other types of generation, and in 2019 large lignite-burning stations were subsidized with capacity payments totalling almost 1 billion lira.
A 1996 court order to shut 3 polluting power stations was not enforced. Five 20th century power stations were shut down at the end of 2019 because they did not meet new pollution limits, but they were all re-licensed after improvements in 2020. Some licences are only until the end of 2020, and the effectiveness of the improvements is being questioned. Despite overcapacity and abundant sun and wind, Emba Hunutlu is under construction. Unlike neighbouring Greece, which is closing down all its lignite-fired power stations, Turkey has approved building Afşin-Elbistan C, which at over 5 kg of CO2 per kWh generated would be less carbon efficient than any power station on the list of least carbon efficient power stations. The Turkey Wealth Fund, the country's sovereign wealth fund, is financing it because, it says, the country needs to maintain energy security by reducing fossil fuel imports. The fund aims to pay dividends to the government, but according to Carbon Tracker, a think tank, new coal power will lose money. The Energy Ministry wants to fully utilize not just renewable energy in Turkey, but also other local energy resources to support the country's development and to reduce dependence on energy imports.
The main opposition Republican People's Party says temporary licenses for 2020 for older power stations which exceed sulfur dioxide pollution limits are illegal, and Greenpeace has applied to the government for them to be shut down as a health risk. Larger power stations must measure local pollutants vented into the atmosphere from the smokestack and report them to the Environment Ministry but, unlike the EU, they are not required to publish the data. Because lignite quality varies greatly, to estimate the carbon dioxide emissions from a particular power station, the net calorific value of the lignite it burnt must be reported but is not required to be published. So, unlike some other countries, public information on the carbon-dioxide emissions of individual power stations may not be available until space-based measurements of carbon dioxide become more precise perhaps by GOSAT-GW in 2023. Much of the operational fleet was built in the 21st century. The oversupply of generating capacity, and drop in demand in 2020 may create financial problems for power station operators, as a quarter of power stations are estimated to be cashflow negative. Moreover the price of natural gas fell in 2020, making Turkey's already existing gas-fired power stations more competitive, so new coal-fired power stations may not in fact be completed, due to public opposition, and the risk of becoming stranded assets.

Active coal-fired power stations in Turkey

All coal-fired power stations which sent power to the grid in 2020 are listed below. In 2018 there were 300 MW of unlicensed thermal power stations but it is not known whether any of them were coal-fired.
StationOperational Capacity Generation to grid in 2019 Capacity factor in 2019 Province and DistrictConstruction or operational start yearOwnerTypeCoal typeRetirementNotes
18 Mart Çan a.k.a. Çan320213476Çanakkale
Çan		2003EÜAŞSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
Adapazarı Sugar Factory a.k.a. Ada Şeker a.k.a. Sakarya1013Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factorySakarya
Adapazarı		2014Adapazarı SugarUnknownLigniteUnknownCaptive power plant: no output to grid first half 2020
Afşin Elbistan A1355189916Kahramanmaraş
Afşin		1984–1987EÜAŞSubcriticalLigniteUncertain but current temporary license for 2 of 4 units expires January 2021
Afşin Elbistan B1440277322Kahramanmaraş
Afşin		2004–2005EÜAŞSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
Afyon Sugar Factory Cogeneration a.k.a. Afyon Şeker150Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryAfyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar		2018Doğüş Food and DrinkUnknownUnknownUnknownCaptive power plant: no output to grid 2019 or first half 2020
Albayrak Balıkesir Cogeneration a.k.a. Albayrak TES80
578Balıkesir
Balıkesir		2019
Varaka PaperUnknownImportedUnknownAverages 150 tons steam from 27 tons coal per hour
Atlas1200850281Hatay
İskenderun		2014Diler Holding via Atlas EnerjiSupercriticalImportedUnknownDiler is on the Global Coal Exit List.
Aynes Cogeneration a.k.a. Aynes Gıda6918Denizli
Acıpayam		2014Aynes FoodUnknownLigniteUnknown
Bandırma Boron Factory a.k.a. Bandırma Boraks36
5317Bandırma
Acıpayam		2014ETİ MiningUnknownLigniteUnknown
Bekirli-1 a.k.a. Biga a.k.a. İçdaş Çelik Enerji405316489Çanakkale
Biga		2005, 2009 İÇDAŞSubcriticalImportedUnknown
Bekirli-2 a.k.a. Bekirli1200865882Çanakkale
Biga		2011, 2015 İÇDAŞSupercriticalImportedUnknown
Beypazarı ETİ Soda Cogeneration a.k.a. ETİ Soda20
9454Ankara
Beypazarı		UnknownCiner Group via ETİ SodaUnknownLigniteUnknown
Bolluk a.k.a.
Alkim Konya		1
219Konya
Cihanbeyli		2014Alkim Alkali ChemicalsUnknownLigniteUnknown
Bolu Göynük a.k.a. Aksa Göynuk TES270196483Bolu
Göynük		2015Kazancı HoldingSubcritical fluidized bedLigniteUnknownuses 1.8 million tons of lignite with a thermal value of 2,450 kcal/kg per year
Cenal1320916779Çanakkale
Biga		2017Alarko Holding and Cengiz Holding via Cenal ElektrikUltra-SupercriticalImported BituminousUnknownCenal is on the Global Coal Exit List.
Çan-2330152453Çanakkale
Çan		2018ODAŞ GroupCombined cycleLigniteUnknown
Çankırı Salt Factory Cogeneration
a.k.a.
Med-mar Sağlık		2964Çankırı
Çankırı		2014Med-marUnknownLigniteUnknown
Çatalağzı
a.k.a. Yeni Çatalağzı		314149454Zonguldak
Kilimli		1979 Aydem EnerjiSubcriticalAnthraciteUncertain but current temporary license expires January 2021
Çayırhan620431279Ankara
Nallıhan		1987–2000Ciner GroupSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
Çayırhan Sodium Sulphate Cogeneration a.k.a. Alkim Çayırhan3939Ankara
Nallıhan		2014Alkim Alkali ChemicalsUnknownUnknownUnknown
Çoban Yıldızı power stations a.k.a. Çumra Termik Santrali a.k.a. Çobanyıldızı 373511Konya
Çumra		2015Anadolu Birlik Holding via :tr:Konya Şeker|Konya Sugar UnknownLigniteUnknownAt Çumra Campus
Çoban Yıldızı power stations a.k.a. Çumra2435Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryKonya
Çumra		2014Anadolu Birlik Holding via :tr:Konya Şeker|Konya Sugar UnknownLigniteUnknownSupplies both sugar factory and grid. Claimed to be most environment friendly factory in Turkey.
Çolakoğlu a.k.a. Çolakoğlu-2190119172Kocaeli
Gebze		2003Çolakoğlu MetalurjiSubcriticalBituminousUnknown
Dazkırı Cogeneration
a.k.a.
Alkim Afyon		31672Afyonkarahisar Dazkırı2014Alkim Alkali ChemicalsUnknownLigniteUnknown
Göknur20Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryNiğde
Niğde		2014Göknur FoodUnknownUnknownUnknownCaptive power plant: no output to grid 2019 or first half 2020
İsken Sugözü
a.k.a. Sugözu İsken
a.k.a. İskenderun		1320711061Adana
Yumurtalık		2003OYAKSubcriticalHard coal AnthraciteUnknown
İzdemir350248481İzmir
Aliağa		2014İzdemir EnerjiSupercriticalImportedUnknown
Kahramanmaraş Paper Factory1673Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryKahramanmaraş
Kahramanmaraş		2014Kahramanmaraş PaperUnknownImportedUnknown
Kangal457258865Sivas
Kangal		1989 1990 2000 Anadolu Birlik Holding via :tr:Konya Şeker|Konya Sugar SubcriticalLigniteUncertain but unit 1 current temporary license expires January 2021On the Global Coal Exit List
Kardemir a.k.a. Karabük7854680Kütahya
Karabük		UnknownKardemir A.Ş.UnknownHard coalUnknownMay need update to meet 2020 standards
Kemerköy630412875Muğla
Gökova		1994, 1995 Yeniköy Kemerköy ElektrikSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
Kipaş Paper Factory81Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryKahramanmaraş
Türkoğlu		2014Kipaş PaperUnknownImportedUnknown
Küçüker Cogeneration534Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryDenizli
Denizli		2014Küçüker TextilesUnknownLigniteUnknown
Kütahya Sugar Factory77Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryKütahya
Kütahya		2014Kütahya Sugar factoryUnknownLigniteUnknown
Orhaneli210157085Bursa
Orhaneli		1992Çelikler HoldingSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
Petlas Tyres60Unknown as some electricity might have been used by the factoryKırşehir
Kirşehir		2014Petlas TyresUnknownUnknownUnknownCaptive power plant: no output to grid 2019 or first half 2020
Polat a.k.a. Polat-15113230Kütahya
Tavşanlı		2013PolatyolCirculating fluidized bedLigniteUnknown
Seydişehir a.k.a. ETİ Alüminyum143327Konya
Seydişehir		2014:tr:Eti |ETİ AluminiumUnknownLigniteUnknown
Seyitömer600396875Kütahya Kütahya1973–1989Çelikler HoldingSubcriticalLigniteUncertain but current temporary license expires January 2021
Soma Kolin510252757Manisa
Soma		2019Kolin GroupCirculating fluidized bedLigniteUnknownThe environmental impact assessment does not mention greenhouse gas emissions.
Soma
a.k.a. Soma A		440Unknown as some electricity might have been used for other purposesManisa
Soma		2016EÜAŞUnknownLigniteUnknownNo output to grid 2019 or first half 2020
Soma B a.k.a. Soma6605059Unknown as the steam is also used for residential heatingManisa
Soma		1981–1992Anadolu Birlik Holding via :tr:Konya Şeker|Konya Sugar SubcriticalLigniteUncertain but current temporary license for 4 of 6 units expires January 2021Of the six 165 MW units, 2 units are shutdown and 4 units operating under temporary license. Steam from the power station is used for residential heating in the winter.
Şırnak Silopi a.k.a. Silopi405232466Şırnak
Silopi		2013, 2015 Ciner GroupCirculating fluidized bedAsphaltiteUnknownMay need update to meet 2020 standards Although technically not coal the solid fuel is treated similarly by regulators so is included here.
Tufanbeyli450328383Adana
Tufanbeyli		2016Sabancı Holding via EnerjisaCirculating fluidized bedLigniteUnknown
Tunçbilek365UnknownUnknownKütahya
Tavşanlı		1973Çelikler HoldingSubcriticalLigniteUncertain but current temporary license expires January 2021Not listed on "real time generation" query so no generation figure shown
Yatağan630376468Muğla
Yatağan		1984, 1986 Aydem EnerjiSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
Yeniköy420299781Muğla
Milas		1986–1987Yeniköy Kemerköy ElektrikSubcriticalLigniteUnknown
ZETES-1160114181Zonguldak
Zonguldak		2010Eren Holding via Eren EnerjiCirculating fluidized bedBituminousUnknownLicensed as "Çatalağzı Termik" together with other ZETES
ZETES-21230893183Zonguldak
Zonguldak		2010Eren Holding via Eren EnerjiSupercriticalBituminousUnknownLicensed as "Çatalağzı Termik" together with other ZETES
ZETES-31400921275Zonguldak
Zonguldak		2016Eren Holding via Eren EnerjiSupercriticalBituminousUnknownLicensed as "Çatalağzı Termik" together with other ZETES