The hydroelectric power plant Alpaslan 2 project is scheduled for the installed capacity of 280 MW and the power production of 860 GWh per year. “It will be our largest power plant so far”, Pavel Váňa, CEO of the ENERGO-PRO Group, said. Apart from Turkey, ENERGO-PRO also operates hydroelectric stations in Bulgaria, Georgia and in the Czech Republic.
The ENERGO-PRO Group, which has Czech roots, bought the Turkish Alpaslan 2 project from Turkish and German owners – and gained control over 100 per cent of shares in the project company Murat Nehri, which was under property control of Enerjisa Enerji , joint venture of the Turkish Sabanci Group and the German energy company E.ON. “We completed the transaction at the end of April; and we expect the project to be put into operation within the period of three years”, Pavel Váňa said.
Licence till 2059
The previous owners invested about 250 million dollars in realizing the project; however, the ENERGO-PRO Group bought it for a significantly lower price. The construction was suspended more than a year ago and it took nearly one year to negotiate its sale. The new dam and electric power plant will be placed on the river Murat in the Mus province, in south-eastern Turkey. Together with the project acquisition, the ENERGO-PRO Group also obtained a licence to operate the Alpaslan 2 power plant till 2059. The guaranteed rate shall reach 73 USD/MWh in the first 10 years.
Currently, the hydroelectric dam Alpaslan 2 is nearly half-finished, it is necessary to finish the construction of the embankment dam. ENERGO-PRO shall use a new dam building technology, clay sealing of a fill dam shall be replaced with asphalt concrete core. The aim is to lower the costs as well as to enable the hydroelectric dam to be put into operation faster. Completion of the construction related costs shall be 240 million dollars.
Great demand in Turkey
The power industry in Turkey is now experiencing the period of a boom of new sources, which shall satisfy the growing demand for electric power with respect to the increasing needs of the local economy. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last year that Turkey needed investments reaching to USD 110 billion in energy industry projects in order to reach the goal to be ranked among the top ten largest economies in the world by 2023. Turkey also plans to reduce its dependence on energy exports from abroad significantly.
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak said in April this year that Turkey ranks among the largest consumers of energy among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries; and also with respect to the aforementioned, the role of Turkey will be, according to the Minister, crucial taking the changing trends of the global energy sector into account. Renewable sources, including hydroelectric power plants, occupy important places in the energy mix of the country.
