Izmir district comes out in opposition of geothermal field tenders

Nuray Pehlivan/ DUVAR

The city council of the Karabun district has voiced its opposition a plan devised by the Izmir governorate to launch a tender for the rental of a geothermal field in the area.

The Izmir Governorate Investment Monitoring and Coordination Management (YİKOB) announced that it plans to hold tenders for 35 geothermal fields in 16 different districts of Izmir. Other districts include Çeşme, Urla, Bayındır, Foça, Seferhisar, and Menemen, many of which are popular vacation destinations known for their beautiful beaches and lush atmosphere. 

In response to the governorate's plans, the Karaburun City Council launched the “We don't want geothermal power plants” campaign, with plans to hold a meeting on Thursday where they will present YİKOB with signatures they have collected from local residents who are against the initiative. 

In a statement, the group announced that the area in Karaburun that is being considered for the geothermal field is home to around 120,000 olive trees, as well as a rare type of olive that only grows in the area. 

“We know that geothermal energy plants are not clean at all, and for our country what is even more grim is that in order to avoid costs concerning the plants, we have seen that the companies do not engage in the proper protective methods and the relevant institutions have not established an inspection mechanism,” the statement continued. 

“We have seen the destruction that geothermal energy plants have caused in the [nearby] provincess of Aydın and Denizli.”