Aygün Bahar ÖKMEN
The Çatalköy-Esentepe Municipality organized a well-attended meeting to examine and offer recommendations on the effects of toxic smoke emitted by the Teknecik Power Plant on the environment and health.
At the meeting held on Wednesday evening, numerous civil society organizations made observations and shared opinions on the effects of the toxins emitted from Teknecik on the environment and human health.
Çatalköy – Esentepe Mayor Ceyhun Kırok emphasized the increasing cancer cases, stating that they had identified 64 cases in the region, and pointed out that this research should be conducted by the “state”.
Kırok expressed that the participation in the meeting was promising, saying, “The presence of all these people together shows that this issue is above politics, above government.”
Former KIBTEK General Manager Kamil Direl, President of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Ayer Yarkıner, EL-SEN President Ahmet Tuğcu, Cyprus Turkish Medical Association General Secretary Ceyhun Dalkan, and President of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers Cemaliye Özverenler were among the speakers.
While alternative energy sources were discussed at the meeting, although there was no agreement on which energy source would be more appropriate to use, the parties agreed on the harm caused to the public by the fuel oil currently in use.
Çatalköy-Esentepe Mayor Ceyhun Kırok:
“A significant number of cancer cases are observed in the region”
Speaking at the meeting held the other day about the Teknecik Power Plant, Çatalköy-Esentepe Mayor Ceyhun Kırok drew attention to the problems experienced in the region. Kırok stated that they had identified 64 cancer cases in the region, saying, “The mentioned figures are from a small study we conducted in the region to set an example.”
Kırok, stating that they focused on neighborhoods where cancer cases are frequently seen, said, “This explanation is based on known cases. This is not an international level study, not an academic study, nor a technical research on the subject. This is just a problem in the region where we live. The number of cases in the entire region is important. In our own research, we identified 64 cases. However, there may be cases that we are not aware of besides these. The state needs to research and identify this.”
“The presence of all these people together shows that this issue is above politics, above government”
Expressing his great satisfaction with the participation, Kırok said, “It was an initiative that was a first for my region and was completely above political power. There were people from all segments, participants from all sectors.” Kırok emphasized that many chambers such as the Union of Cyprus Turkish Engineers and Architects Chambers, Chamber of Electrical Engineers were among the participants, the Medical Association was present, and there was intense participation from the public.
“The presence of all these people together shows that this issue is above politics, above government. As the Municipality, we didn’t go there to do politics either. We went to discuss and talk about solution proposals. I expressed my ideas there. I said in which areas we need help. I’m very pleased with the support we received here,” said Kırok, adding, “The best example of this is the support that the Medical Association offered to give us.”
Kırok said, “The Medical Association conveyed that they could help us in conducting research on this issue. As the Municipality, we expressed that we could financially support the research to be done. Maybe we can achieve this on a larger scale with a scientific study together or with expert people coming from outside. We need to research what types of diseases there are, which diseases are emerging, what the cancer cases are and in which age groups they are seen, the number of deaths from these cases as soon as possible, and create a cancer map of the region and perhaps the country. My hopes on this matter increased after the participation that took place last night because we received support from all participating institutions and organizations.”
“The next step could be transitioning to a system where we can utilize more solar energy or changing the type of fuel”
Kırok, conveying suggestions as the municipality, said, “Our proposal was to progress by setting short, medium, and long-term goals. Short-term goals include immediately controlling the incoming fuel and ensuring it enters the island only after checking if the sulfur content is at an acceptable level for the island. The immediate servicing and repair of the two 60-megawatt generators currently in use. Because when they informed us, it was clear that routine checks and maintenance were not being carried out. This is why these generators are contributing to the emission of this black smoke. The next step could be transitioning to a system where we can utilize more solar energy or changing the type of fuel. Perhaps a switch from fuel oil to diesel fuel or natural gas could be made. Regarding the transition to a system that can utilize solar energy, the President of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers stated that if this system is implemented, there would be about a 30% reduction in electricity bills. Our citizens’ biggest problem with electricity is that they are both paying for the most expensive electricity and unable to use it. For instance, we don’t have electricity right now as we speak. During last night’s press conference, the electricity was cut off twice.”
Kırok concluded his remarks by emphasizing that certain key points in the Çatalköy-Esentepe and Teknecik Region need to be urgently investigated, noting that a significant number of cancer cases have been observed in these areas and that the causes of these cancer cases need to be known.
Former General Manager of KIBTEK Kamil Direl:
“The fuel being used should be analyzed”
Former KIBTEK General Manager Kamil Direl, at the meeting held last night, stated that he divided the environmental problem caused by the Teknecik Power Plant into two, saying “Problems related to the current fuel usage and the other is the black smoke problem from the chimney that has been bothering all our people, especially the people of the region, recently.” Direl, expressing that citizens are complaining about the fuel used not being of good quality, stated that “Analysis of the burned fuel” is necessary to determine this. Direl said, “Unfortunately, there is no laboratory in this country that can analyze this.” Direl, mentioning the importance of analyzing this and publishing the findings, pointed out that there were examples of this in the past. Direl, stating that the emission parameters of the smoke released from the chimney should also be analyzed, drew attention to the need to establish a continuous monitoring system as required by the TRNC Environmental Law. Direl stated that an emission monitoring system was installed on the Steam Plant chimneys in 2011, but this system has not been working for several years, and he stated that there is no such monitoring system in Teknecik. Emphasizing that according to the law, the emissions of the chimneys should be tested and measured once a year by accredited companies, he stated that this has not been done for several years. He emphasized the importance of these parameters in terms of human and environmental health, and the health of the plant’s equipment. Direl, stating that fuel oil creates two environmental impacts, said, “The first is chimneys and emissions, and the second is the waste generated during fuel preparation.” Direl said, “Both NOx, SOx and Torf exceed limit values in both steam plants and diesel plants.” Direl, also mentioning treatment systems and environmental problems that treatment systems may cause, stated that the costs of systems that could be established were calculated before. Direl, stating that a more environmentally friendly fuel consumption could be considered, expressed that the use of natural gas could be an appropriate solution. Direl, stating that natural gas would also provide an advantage in terms of price, said that if natural gas is used in power plants, there could be a 30% decrease in production costs. He stated that in such a case, the existing power plants would need natural gas modification. Direl, pointing out that feasibility studies were also conducted on this subject in the 2019-2020 period, also emphasized the power outages caused by insufficient production in the country. Direl, stating that the existing power plants cannot meet the current load, expressed that there are two reasons for the power outages experienced. Direl said, “First, the problems in the existing production plants, maintenance and repair deficiencies. The second is the need for new power plant investment…” Direl, also mentioning renewable energy, stated that the sun is an effective energy source. He emphasized the importance of storage.
President of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Ayer Yarkıner:
“Investments not made are for someone’s profit”
Ayer Yarkıner, President of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, stated at the meeting held last night that the problem stems from poor management. Yarkıner, expressing that the black smoke emitted is not random, stated that in 2018, serious work was done to convert the existing power plants to natural gas at a cost of approximately 318 Million Dollars including investment costs. Yarkıner, stating that there is no opinion from a mechanical engineer regarding the transition of fuels running on fuel oil to natural gas, expressed that the reason for this is the insistence on not wanting to switch to natural gas. Yarkıner, who said “The difference in environmental pollution between natural gas and fuel oil is around 20%,” stated, “with this bad fuel and this bad management, you eliminate that as well.” Yarkıner, pointing out that the storage and maintenance of natural gas in storage is more expensive, said, “Above all, we need to operate our established system as it should be operated for the public benefit. By not doing this, we are creating more complications with alternative methods.” Yarkıner, stating that proposals are being made from one fossil fuel to another, drew attention to the fact that fossil fuel investment plants are not being established anywhere in the world, and emphasized green energy. Yarkıner, saying “KIBTEK’s 1 million square meters of land for this purpose has been squandered to a few companies,” asked, “Well, if those two companies can do this, can’t KIBTEK do it?” He said, “Well, why doesn’t it do it? Because there is a management that does not consider energy supply security.” He stated, “Investments that are not made are not for the Turkish Cypriot people to have electricity, but for someone’s profit.”
“The electricity problem is not being solved due to profiteering”
Touching on the topic of electric vehicles, Yarkıner said, “We’ve talked ourselves hoarse, we need to change the system for these electric vehicles now. We need to install smart systems in homes. The charging stations for electric vehicles should not be powered by fossil fuel power plants. We wrote to the Minister, the Prime Minister, the Embassy. Why aren’t you listening? The electricity problem is an issue that can be solved in this country in one fell swoop. The reason it’s not being solved is profiteering. That’s why it’s not being solved.”
“The Chamber of Commerce, which remained silent about fuel purchased without tender, contract, or guarantee, now says it will analyze the fuel entering the depot”
Yarkıner said, “The Mayor stirred things up, citing air pollution. The Chamber of Commerce came out and said, ‘I will analyze the fuel’. Once again, the clocks are running backwards. There’s fuel being purchased without tender, without contract, without guarantee. The Chamber of Commerce, which should be the first to speak up about this, remains silent. Is it the Chamber of Commerce’s job to analyze what’s entering the depot? If that fuel has entered the depot, it means it’s mixed with the old fuel. If you remain silent while the system is breaking down, if you don’t speak up for your own class interests, this country will be condemned to this undeserved order.”
Yarkıner stated that a tender was issued in the south regarding energy via cable, mentioning that the tender was awarded to an impartial company and a feasibility report was prepared. “What did we do? We connected 100% of our energy to Aksa without a feasibility report,” he said. Yarkıner expressed that fossil fuel power plant investments should no longer be made in this region, emphasizing the need for storage. Yarkıner, stating that a tender was issued for 165 megawatts of battery storage in the south, voiced that KIBTEK’s machines were being destroyed due to sudden loads. Yarkıner, who said there is nearly 120 megawatts of idle capacity, rebelled by saying that there is still talk of purchasing fossil fuel power plants or switching to natural gas. He included the statement, “Problems that are not solved at their source continue to create complications.”
Ahmet Tuğcu, President of EL-SEN:
“Green and yellow smoke is coming from AKSA, that’s the real poison”
Speaking about the Teknecik Power Plant at the meeting held last night, EL-SEN President Ahmet Tuğcu said, “For about nine months, we have been working extensively with the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers regarding the things that haven’t been done at the Teknecik Power Plant. The reason for the power cuts here today is poor management. What we have been emphatically stressing and taking action about… So, what’s the result? Here’s the darkness…” referring to the power cut during the meeting.
Tuğcu, stating that the environmental problem affects not only the region but the entire country, shared a photograph showing the power plants on the island of Cyprus with the audience. Pointing to the image showing three power plants – Teknecik, AKSA, and one in southern Cyprus – Tuğcu said the picture was “satellite images showing environmental pollution”. He stated, “People are being poisoned in the Iskele region as well”. Tuğcu, expressing that as EL-SEN they are fighting for the timely maintenance of the power plants and the delivery of the correct fuel, mentioned that after the tender process, when they switched to direct procurement, he personally went and illegally took a fuel sample from the third ship, and as EL-SEN, they sent the sample to southern Cyprus for analysis. Tuğcu said, “We paid 1500 Euros for the analysis. It turned out that the fuel was normal. So, what’s the reason for our recent experiences? Firstly, we suspect poor quality fuel. Secondly, the power plants have now collapsed due to materials not being procured on time, and thirdly, you see that black smoke because we couldn’t perform maintenance. The reasons were just explained technically. But the main problem is poor management.”
“I’m going to say something even worse,” said Tuğcu, “As the people of this region, you should know this: for 9 months, there have been 16 one-ton and 4 different-sized chlorine gas cylinders at the power plant, as EL-SEN. A leak from one of these chlorine gas cylinders, I researched last night, is sitting as a live bomb in Teknecik because of poor management passing the buck for 40 days, despite the tender process being completed and the contract signed, due to miscalculations about who will profit from what. So what happens if there’s a leak? Everyone breathing within 10 km will die. We wrote to the Prime Minister about this eight months ago. We told them to dispose of this chlorine gas. The tender ended on July 4th, the contract was signed. But unfortunately, the issue is going back and forth between the Prime Minister and Fikri Ataoğlu. Chlorine gas is an old system. As EL-SEN, we also researched the disposal of chlorine gas. Only two or three companies in Turkey can do this job. The company that won the tender is an international company. The process they will carry out will be completed in 15 days. For 40 days, we’ve been waiting for the poor management to make a decision, pay 260 thousand Euros to the company, and eliminate this live bomb.”
“Green and yellow smoke is coming from AKSA. That’s the real poison”
Tuğcu, expressing that poor management has remained silent on this situation, stated that people have lost their lives. Articulating that the lack of timely maintenance of the power plants causes black smoke to be emitted, Tuğcu said, “This poor management has handed over all the tenders of the Electricity Authority to Turkey.” Expressing that they wanted to hide the fact that the fuel is dirty, Tuğcu stated, “Green and yellow smoke is coming from AKSA. That’s the real poison.”
Ceyhun Dalkan, Secretary General of the Turkish Cypriot Medical Association:
“Our air pollution reports are spotless, just like our sea waters”
“The health issues of the public are our primary duty,” said Ceyhun Dalkan, Secretary General of the Turkish Cypriot Medical Association. “What kind of problems does this smoke cause? It can create problems in every organ from head to toe. Poor air quality, air pollution can lead to strokes, heart attacks, lung cancer, or if there’s an underlying condition like asthma or COPD, it can worsen these conditions. It can cause pregnant women to give birth prematurely, children to be born with disabilities, and blood clotting. We’re actually paying a world of electricity bills only to be poisoned,” he stated.
“Our air pollution reports are spotless, just like our sea waters”
Dalkan emphasized that clean air is our right. Stating that environmentally friendly energy is among the EU’s 2030-2050 goals, Dalkan expressed their desire to actively participate in efforts to protect public health. Noting that they have had some discussions during this process, Dalkan stated that they specifically requested air pollution reports for the entire country from the Environmental Department. Dalkan, indicating that the reports have reached them, said, “Our air pollution reports are spotless, just like our sea waters.” Using the expression “They sent us a ridiculous result suggesting that the annual averages are clean,” Dalkan said, “We intend to work together with other sister organizations and associations to reveal the health effects of this situation more clearly and statistically.”
Cemaliye Özverenler, President of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers:
“They said ‘We apologize, we used bad fuel.’ Actually, saying ‘we used bad fuel’ means ‘we’re very sorry, we poisoned you'”
Cemaliye Özverenler, President of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, expressing her desire to talk about what can be done, said, “As the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, we publish the same press releases almost every year, whether it’s about solid waste, water, or fuel issues. However, our authorities don’t take us into consideration and don’t answer our questions. Because they don’t respond to us, we as engineers can’t do any calculation work.”
Özverenler used the expression, “They said ‘We apologize, we used bad fuel.’ But actually, saying ‘we used bad fuel’ means ‘we’re very sorry, we poisoned you’.” Özverenler emphasized that what needs to be done is for civil society organizations to form a commission, and for engineers to go there when fuel samples are taken to ensure that samples are taken from all tankers and delivered to authorized laboratories. She stated, “When the results are not announced transparently, we only look at the smoke and make assumptions.” She expressed that within the framework of the Law and Regulation, when looking at the Environmental Law, it can be seen that there are various standards related to air pollution.
Underlining that only Teknecik is being talked about, but the situation is no different at AKSA, Özverenler said, “A filter was installed there, but we hear that unfortunately, the filter is not being operated. Because the operating cost of the filter is very high.” She used the expression, “The public is being poisoned again.” She also underlined that this situation could cause various chronic diseases. She stated that as the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, they are ready to provide the necessary assistance.
