Local energy company Elsan wins Yatağan thermal power plant tender

ANKARA

Yatağan workers have long been protesting against the privatization of the plant. A recent protest in front of the Energy Ministry was violently crushed by the police. AFP Photo / Adem Altan

Turkish energy contracting and generating firm Elsan has placed the highest bid of $1.091 billion to win the operational rights of Yatağan thermal power plant in the Aegean province of Muğla.

Elsan won the operating rights for the plant after outbidding its rivals energy contracting firm Alsim Alarko and local food and energy company Konya Şeker at the auction stage that only lasted five rounds.

Six Turkish companies had initially placed offers for the Aegean thermal power plant that has 630 megawatt installed capacity.

Energy and construction giant Limak, Çeçen-owned Construction mogul IC İçtaş, and contractor Çelikler Taahüt ve İnşaat were left out of the race at the elimination round after placing low offers.

Most of the Yatağan bidders also recently competed to win operation rights to Çatalağzı coal-fires power plant in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak. However, local mining firm Demir Madencilik emerged victorious by offering $351 million for the facility.

IC İçtaş recently won the rights to operate the Yeniköy and Kemerköy thermal power plants in the same province for $2.671 billion.

The tender for Yatağan was initially scheduled for May 16, but was delayed until yesterday after the Soma mining accident killed 301 workers in another Aegean province Manisa on May 13.

Workers at the Yatağan, Yeniköy and Kemerköy thermal plants in the southwestern province of Muğla have staged demonstrations for weeks in front of government buildings to stop sale.

Some workers, who chained themselves to the front of the Energy Ministry in Ankara, had faced brutal police interventions during the protests.

They also attempted to block President Abdullah Gül’s way when he was travelling to İzmir from Muğla by car, to make their voices heard.