Author: Doğa Tekneci | Page 3

Eventhough geothermal power plants (GPP) are being constructed to provide energy, their ecological impacts are really high.

Photo of GPP.

Geothermal Power Plants (GPP) and Their Ecological Affects

What is Geothermal Energy?

Geothermal energy is the use of hot water and steam found deep within the Earth’s crust, brought to the surface to generate energy.

How is the Energy Produced?

Hot fluid extracted from deep drilling wells spins turbines and generates electricity.

Ecological Risk

Geothermal fluid may include arsenic, boron and various heavy metals. If this fluid mixes with the environment, it can affect water resources and soil. In addition, the heavy metals and gases in the fluid can cause air pollution.

Earthquake Risk: Geothermal fields are often established near active fault lines. Drilling activities and the injection of fluid underground can, in some cases, trigger micro-earthquakes. This phenomenon is referred to in scientific studies as “induced seismicity.”

Substances Found in GPP Fluids

Arsenic

Mercury

Boron

CO₂

Carbon dioxite

H₂S

Hydrogen sulphur

Chain of Impact of GPP Projects

Drilling

Deep drilling wells opened for geothermal energy can affect underground geology and water ecosystems by mixing chemicals into water. In addition, the discharge of high-temperature wastewater into rivers can alter mineral concentrations.

Groundwater

When geothermal fluid reaches the surface or when reinjection fails, groundwater may become contaminated.

Agriculture

Changes in water quality and chemical impacts on soil reduce agricultural production. Fig orchards and olive groves in the Aegean region are being damaged.

Livestock

The decline in agricultural production affects feed production. Livestock, a main source of livelihood in Kurdish regions, is therefore a sensitive sector.

Village Life

The weakening of agriculture and livestock affects the rural economy. Gases and heavy metals released into the air increase health problems such as cancer. This situation forces villagers to migrate.

Biodiversity

The expansion of plant areas and the discharge of geothermal fluids lead to the fragmentation of natural habitats. Endemic plant and animal species face the danger of extinction.

Geothermal Power Plants on Fault Lines

Geothermal energy fields mostly form along fracture systems and fault lines in the Earth’s crust. These fractures make it easier for underground hot water to reach the surface. A large portion of geothermal power plant (GPP) projects are concentrated along active fault lines in regions with high earthquake risk.

Power plant facilities, pipelines, and generators in high earthquake-risk areas may be damaged or explode. During earthquakes, uncontrolled leakage of geothermal wastewater may occur.

GPP → Soil → Crop yield → Relation of migration

In rural areas, energy projects can affect not only the environment but also the local economy. Considering the forced displacement policies historically experienced in Türkiye—especially in Kurdish regions—economic and social changes can be seen as a result of occupation policies.

GPP Activities
Drilling wells and plant sites spread over large areas.

Soil and Water
Changes in groundwater systems affect agricultural land and food production.

Crop Yield
In Aydın, fig and olive production is at risk. In Kurdish regions, the impact on pasture lands may affect livestock.

Rural migration
Weakening of agriculture and livestock farming can reduce livelihoods and accelerate migration.

How do GPP Projects Progress?

1. Exploration License: Companies apply to provincial governorships or special provincial administrations to obtain a geothermal exploration license.

2. Drilling: Deep wells are opened

3. EIA Progress: An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.

4. Land Permits: Non-agricultural land-use permits are granted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

5. Expropriation: In some cases, expropriation may be carried out by presidential decree.

6. Plant Installation: Energy production begins.

Where Are GPPs Concentrated in Turkey?

Aegean Reagon: Aydın, Denizli and Manisa host the majority of geothermal power plants in Türkiye.
Central Anatolia: Konya and Nevşehir are also among the regions where exploration licenses are granted.
Kurdish Provinces: In recent years, geothermal exploration projects have come to the agenda around Muş and Bingöl.

How Large is Kızıldere GPP Area?

The Kızıldere geothermal field in Denizli covers approximately 528 hectares. This corresponds to an area roughly equal to 739 football fields. Across Türkiye, there are about 71 geothermal power plants.

GPP Statistics in Turkey

Around 71 geothermal power plant is found across Turkey.
46 of them are located in Aydın.
Kızıldere GPP area is approximately 528 hectares.
The exploration license area in Tokat covers 36,000 hectares.

Geothermal energy projects are met with opposition from local people in many regions. Due to concerns that agricultural land may be damaged, water resources affected, endemic species driven to extinction, and expropriation processes imposed, local people and ecological organizations are carrying out various forms of resistance and legal struggles. For this reason, the question of whether GPP investments truly serve the public interest continues to be debated in some regions.

Dams and hydroelectric power plant (HPP) projects that have destroyed the collective memory and livelihoods of Kurdish provinces continue to be a significant threat to the people and wildlife in the region.

The Siege of Dams and HPPs in Kurdish Provinces

What are dams and HPPs?

Dams are structures that block the flow of water to create large artificial lakes. Hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), on the other hand, generate electricity by harnessing the kinetic energy of this water. However, this process disrupts the natural flow of rivers, fundamentally altering the ecosystem.

The dam and HPP projects being constructed in Kurdish provinces are being implemented not only for energy production but also as tools for ecological, cultural, and social transformation.

Political Background

Dams have been turned into a tool to reshape the region as part of long-standing security policies. Through the construction of what the State Hydraulic Works defines as “security” dams on the Tigris (Dicle) and Euphrates (Fırat) rivers as part of the government’s Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), the living spaces of many people and animals have been destroyed.

Economic Reality

The electricity generated by these projects is not being supplied to Kurdish provinces, but rather transferred to western provinces and foreign markets. The local population is not benefiting economically. Dam and HPP projects have caused the local population to become even poorer by changing natural factors such as temperature, water, and rainfall, and by destroying agricultural lands.

Migration and Destruction

Villages were emptied or flooded, people were forced to migrate, and social and cultural heritage was destroyed.

Siege of Dams in the Tigris–Euphrates Basin

Euphrates River, a total of 50 dams
Main dams:
Keban → Karakaya → Atatürk → Birecik → Karkamış

Tigris River, a total of 41 dams
Main dams:
Ilısu → Kralkızı → Dicle → Cizre

Result:
• Artificial lakes are created
• The natural flow of rivers is cut off
• Water cannot reach downstream basins
• Rainfall patterns and humidity levels change
• Temperature and wind patterns are disrupted
• Drought increases rapidly
• Agricultural land becomes less productive
• The ecological balance collapses
• Local people are forced to migrate
• Collective memory is destroyed

New Projects

Number of submitted projects after 2015: 89 HPP + 28 dams
Environmental Impact Assessment Approval Rate: %99
4 newly approved projects in the beginning of 2026, in provinces of Bingöl and Erzurum

Striking Examples

Adıyaman and Urfa – Atatürk Dam: Because of the Atatürk Dam, planned since the era of Kenan Evren, 34 villages were submerged. Structures such as the Neolithic Samsat Ancient City and rock tombs were left underwater.

Batman, Hasankeyf – Ilısu Dam: 199 villages were flooded, 15,000 people were displaced, and 12,000 years of history were destroyed.

Van, Erciş – Zilan Valley: Hydroelectric projects disrupted the river system, damaged water sources feeding Lake Van, and pushed endemic species to the brink of extinction.

Bingöl, Genç / Amed, Licê (Sarım Basin):A hydroelectric project threatened the region’s well-known honey production and disrupted the ecological balance.

Amed – Silvan Basin: The explotions during dam construction damaged historical constructions such as Taş Köprü, thousands of trees were cut down, 50 villages are under risk.

Muş, Varto – Alparslan Dams: n 2019, the Alparslan 1 and 2 dams completely submerged Tepe village, home to 60 households and around 500 people.

Urfa – Birecik Dam: After the dam, 85% of the settlement was submerged, destroying many historical mounds and living areas.

Elazığ – Keban Dam: With the construction of the Keban Dam, at least 59 villages, 26 hamlets, and 6 settlements within an area of 39,300 hectares were completely flooded.

Amed, Eğil – Dicle Dam: In Diyarbakır’s Eğil district, a gate failure in the Dicle Dam—whose construction began in 1986 and started holding water in 1997—led to the submergence of 2,400-year-old historical structures.

Şırnak – Nerdüş Dam and Cizre Dam: Çağlayan (Şax) village, with 150 households and previously burned and evacuated in the early 1990s, will be submerged by the Nerdüş hydroelectric and irrigation project. Natural formations such as the Kasrik Gorge, which separates the Gabar and Cûdî mountains, will also be flooded due to the Cizre Dam.

Dam and hydroelectric projects are used not only for energy production but also as tools of geographic and social transformation. The destruction of ecosystems, the erasure of historical heritage, and the displacement of local populations are among their most severe consequences.

What are these “GPPs”?