Hydropower plant project in Borçka scrapped over environmental concerns

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Plans to establish a hydropower plant and a regulator in the Borçka district of the Black Sea province of Artvin has been scrapped over concerns that the project may pose risks to the local environment and bee population unique to the area.

Talks between a private company and the authorities over the planned power plant had been going on for five years.

The company applied to the Environment and Urban Planning Ministry in 2013 to obtain permissions within the scope of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations.

As part of the process, a public meeting and a Scope and Special Format Determination meeting were organized in September 2013.

But the environmental impact assessment process was called off because it was demanded that further environmental studies should be carried out as the location of the planned power plant was a gene protection and biosphere reserve area.

The company gathered the required information and submitted an EIA report to the authorities. But the members of a commission found the report insufficient and called for ending the EIA process.

Following a final assessment, the ministry ruled that the project was close to cultivated areas and would put the Caucasian bee population and Caucasian ecological area at risk. The ministry finally terminated the EIA process for the project as of Nov. 23 this year.