Speaking at the International Coal Workshop in Istanbul, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak said that Turkey is looking into the potential of further boosting its electricity production through the use of domestic coal, adding that in the first nine months of the year the share of coal in electricity production rose to 16 % compared to 12 % at the end of 2015.
Regarding the criticism of Turkey’s coal use, Minister Albayrak emphasized that Turkey is one of the least air-polluting countries in the world and it will continue to use this resource responsibly. He indicated that the near one-third-production increase is not enough, as future projections are even higher. Furthermore, domestic coal provides both import and employment opportunities, as well as domestic development. In the past ten years, 7 billion tons of coal reserves have been found in Turkey.
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Tags: coal, electricity, electricity production, environment, polllution, thermal, TPP, Turkey