Zorlu’s geothermal power plant opened

DENİZLİ

Zorlu Holding Chairman, Ahmet Zorlu, speaks at the inauguration ceremony of Kızıldere 2 Geothermal Power Plant in Denizli. AA photo

Turkish conglomerate Zorlu Group inaugurated an 80 megawatt (mW) geothermal power plant in the Aegean province of Denizli in a ceremony yesterday.

Zorlu Energy, one of the group’s companies, constructed the Kızıldere 2 Geothermal Power Plant with $250 million investment.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Zorlu Chairman Ahmet Zorlu said they aimed to grow by using local and renewable resources, adding that they would make $150 million contribution to reduce Turkey’s current account deficit thanks to the geothermal power plant and additional investments in the coming period.

Zorlu Energy won the tender for operation rights of the Kızıldere Geothermal Power Plant in 2008 and raised its capacity from 6 mW to 15 mW, he said. “Kızıldere 2 will raise the capacity to 95 mW and will take its place among the world’s largest geothermal fields,” Zorlu adding. The new plant is Turkey’s largest geothermal power plant, he said.

The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Energy Minister Taner Yıldız.