| Abstract |
Sustainable use of geothermal resources is key to ensure long-term production schemes are secured and should not focus only on the technical aspects of the production but also on the minimization and mitigation of associated environmental and social impacts. Due to the nature of geothermal power production; i.e. multiple power plant developments using the same reservoir, understanding of environmental and social impacts holistically is of utmost importance. Especially for policy and decision makers, focusing on the bigger picture of potential environmental and social impacts beyond the project level will enhance sustainable management of resources. With its total installed capacity of approximately 1.3 GW, Turkey is amongst the “1 GW Geothermal Country Club†alongside the U.S., Indonesia, the Philippines and New Zealand. As reported by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS), in 2017, the share of renewable energy in national electricity generation was 45.5% whilst the share of geothermal energy was approximately 1.3%. As of July 2019, of the 47 geothermal power plants (GPPs) currently in operation, 44 GPPs are located on Menderes and Gediz Grabens corresponding to 98.5% of the total capacity in operation. These two of the most important structural elements in Western Anatolia present abundant geothermal activity and the hottest geothermal resources of Turkey. In addition to the GPPs currently utilizing geothermal waters of the Menderes and Gediz Graben basins, there are also reasonably foreseeable future projects planned in the region with valid licenses from the Turkish authorities, indicating significant potential for further growth in total capacity. Geothermal power plants have a key role in meeting Turkey’s ever-growing electricity demand in parallel with the increasing population and rising living standards. On the other hand, with the increasing number of geothermal power plants in the same region, Menderes and Gediz grabens in the Turkish case, assessment and management of potential environmental and social impacts holistically becomes utmost importance to ensure sustainable use of resources. In order to assess the cumulative environmental and social impacts, valued environmental and social components (VECs) that may be potentially affected by cumulative impacts of the existing and reasonably foreseeable projects (at planning / (pre)feasibility / design stage as of assessment time) should be identified. Amongst others, the VECs to be focused on within Menderes and Gediz grabens may include air quality and climate, quality of surface and groundwater resources, biodiversity and critical habitat trigger features, community health and safety, agricultural production and the cultural heritage sites. Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including geothermal investors, sectoral associations, scientific institutions, local communities and civil society organizations as well as the governmental authorities as the decision makers would be key to ensure a meaningful assessment of the cumulative impacts. The mitigation strategies and measures to be developed based on a cumulative impact assessment study would provide guidance on how to manage effectively the impacts along with the existing environmental and social concerns of the local communities. This would help the geothermal investors to safeguard the long-term sustainability of their investments in line with government’s energy policies, yet implementation of the management strategies and measures would require a joint effort by the governmental authorities and the investors. The aim of this paper is to set forth the framework to assess cumulative environmental and social impacts from geothermal investments using Menderes and Gediz Grabens from Turkey as a case study. |