Anatolia is a geothermal paradise

Ali Kindap, Chairman of the Board of the Geothermal Energy Association (JED); Noting that Turkey's geothermal use at the level of 5 thousand megawatts (MW) in energy production, residential heating, greenhouse cultivation and tourism is 62 thousand MW, he said, “Geothermal is the inexhaustible oil of the Anatolian geography. Of course, we are glad that there are new oil deposits in some provinces and regions of our country. We need to experience the same joy, or even more, for the sustainable and clean geothermal resources that are put into use.” Turkey, the leader in Europe and the fourth country in the world in terms of geothermal resource wealth, will be the world leader by far if it transforms this natural wealth into more added value with integrated use. Pointing out that the experience of Turkish drilling companies in geothermal resource exploration has a great impact on the positive developments in oil exploration and drilling activities in Turkey in recent years, Ali Kınap, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Geothermal Energy Association, made the following assessment: “Oil and geothermal resource exploration are very close together in technical and engineering terms. However, when oil is found in a province of our country, we hear shouts of joy from many segments of society and media outlets, but we see that the same joy is not experienced when geothermal, which can create value in many different fields, is found. However, considering the employment opportunities it provides in the region where geothermal resources are located, its use in a wide area from electricity generation to greenhouse cultivation, from housing heating to fisheries, and its contribution to our economy; making more use of these resources is important for our environmental and economic goals.” Expressing that Turkey has a unique location in terms of underground riches, Kındap said, “Geothermal, due to its nature, is a jewel that serves the economic development of countries in many areas.”

“We can be the world leader by far”

Reminding that the drilling companies located in Turkey, thanks to the experience gained from the acceleration in geothermal energy investments between 2010-2020, they have signed many investments not only in Turkey but also in different geographies of the world, JED President Kındap continued his words as follows: “Anatolia is a magnificent geography where people who have been integrated with geothermal wealth for thousands of years, settled in the places where the geothermal source originates, are heated by that source and find healing with that source. Anatolia is a geothermal paradise. The oil of these lands is geothermal. If we move the geothermal resources of Anatolia, which is the source of over 1,500 natural geothermal resources, to the point where they serve the common welfare of our nation, we can move our fourth place in the world ranking to the leadership by far. Turkish geothermal sector investors are ready to be a part of this great vision with their engineering know-how, human resources and financial power. Today, we see that Turkish drilling companies have established turnkey geothermal power plants in a wide geography from Europe to Africa and the Far East. Geothermal undoubtedly has an important place among the most fundamental energy sources that will contribute to the realization of our government's vision of '2053 net zero emissions'.