Cold weather disrupts life throughout Turkey

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey could be hit by more snow this week, according to meteorological officials. AA photo

Adverse weather conditions wreaked havoc throughout Turkey over the weekend, causing disruptions in the provision of electricity, natural gas and public transportation services.

Turkey could be hit by more storms, rainfall and snow in the days to come, according to meteorological officials.

A voltage transformer exploded in the Bursa Natural Gas Combined Cycle Plant that provides 10 percent of Turkey’s electricity, causing blackouts in Istanbul and across other major cities in northwestern Turkey on Jan. 14 at around 1:42 p.m. A separate breakdown subsequently occurred at the Lüleburgaz Plant. 

Authorities responded by connecting electricity purchased from neighboring Bulgaria to the grid, thereby restoring some electricity to the Marmara basin, Turkey’s most populous and industrialized region. 

Some 80 percent of the electricity shortage was met when additional power supplied from the Istanbul Ambarlı Coal Plant was also fed into the grid, although the shortages lasted until about 7:15 p.m. 
In the meantime, metro and tram services in Istanbul also came to a grinding halt when the shortages hit, and it was not until 4:30 p.m. that metro services restarted, while some ferry schedules were also canceled due to the weather. 

The shortage also disrupted the traffic signalization system, leading to inextricable jams and accidents at certain junctions, according to reports. Industrial plants in Istanbul and the northwestern province of Kocaeli, Turkey’s two leading industrial centers, suspended their production due to the shortage. 
Access to many villages across Turkey was also cut off due to heavy snowfall, while rampant traffic accidents also marred the weekend. Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin was also forced to cancel a visit to the Central Anatolian province of Sivas due to the adverse weather conditions.