Key facts
- Türkiye's largest coal-fired power plant expansion at Afşin-Elbistan A was cancelled by a court ruling.
- The court revoked the Environmental Impact Assessment due to unacceptable negative environmental impacts.
- Local residents and Greenpeace Türkiye fought the expansion, citing health and environmental concerns.
- This cancellation brings Türkiye's rate of cancelled proposed coal projects to 97%.
- Despite this, Türkiye still lacks a national coal phaseout plan, and another coal plant expansion was recently announced.
Environmental activists have declared a victory after a court in Türkiye revoked the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the expansion of the Afşin-Elbistan A Thermal Power Plant, the country's largest coal-fired facility. The lawsuit, supported by local residents and Greenpeace Türkiye, argued that the expansion would negatively impact human health, agricultural lands, water resources, and local ecosystems.
The court's decision on July 8 concluded that the project's potential negative environmental impacts could not be proven to be at acceptable levels. Mehmet Dalkanat from the Afşin Elbistan Life and Nature Protection Platform stated that the ruling is a victory for the people and called for the closure of all existing coal power plants through a fair transition.
The 688 MW Afşin-Elbistan expansion was one of only two active coal plant proposals in Türkiye, bringing the cancellation rate for such projects to 97%, a global record. However, the country still lacks a comprehensive national coal phaseout plan. Notably, a 1,050 MW expansion of the Cenal Coal Power Plant was announced in June, despite Türkiye's upcoming role as co-host of the UN's COP31 climate summit.
Coal currently constitutes nearly one-third of Türkiye's electricity generation, with an operating fleet of 20.5 GW averaging 24 years in age and no planned retirement dates. Policy support, including a guaranteed-rate power purchase plan for coal plants through 2030, continues to bolster the industry. A court-appointed expert committee had previously reported that the Afşin-Elbistan expansion was not in the public interest due to unaddressed environmental and social impacts.
CAN Europe advocates for reallocating coal subsidies to clean energy and grid modernization to enhance energy and job security in coal-dependent regions. The cost of coal-fired electricity is rising, while renewables like solar and wind have seen significant cost reductions in Türkiye over the past decade. Greenpeace Türkiye suggests that renewable energy investments could create thousands of jobs in the Afşin-Elbistan region. Türkiye is reportedly one-third of the way to achieving its 2035 renewable energy capacity target of 120 GW.