Zorlu energy envisages a bold new future based on renewables

Zorlu Energy is steered towards a new vision based on renewable energy, notably on wind power. General Manager Sinan Ak describes how renewables are the future for energy security and why it is no longer a “romantic story”.

Turkey is a rapidly growing economy, and despite growing demand, Turkey’s energy requirements are fulfilled almost entirely by fossil fuel imports. Given the widely accepted argument that renewable energy, given the required transformation in energy structure, decreasing costs and improving technology, is no longer a “romantic story”, Zorlu Energy invests highly in wind power. Zorlu Energy targets to help to meet Turkey’s growing energy demand, while limiting reliance on energy imports, and also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Building on its growth in compliance with the principle of product and service variation in a bid to more efficiently use the planet’s natural resources, Zorlu Energy, attaches a great deal of importance on operations in local and renewable resources notably wind and geothermal energy. Zorlu Energy sets ambitious renewable energy targets, installed and operated its own renewable power systems, and signed purchase agreements to buy directly from renewable energy project operators, bypassing utilities. 

wZorlu Energy has a passion for continuous improvement, challenges, excellence and particularly value people, the environment and integrity in all national and international activities. In this respect, renewable resources, which Zorlu Energy deem indispensable in its growth map and plays a strategic importance.  Zorlu Energy operates with 3 wind farms in Turkey and 1 in Pakistan with a total capacity of 271 MW.With its 135 MW of installed power, Gökçedağ Wind Farm is one of the biggest in Turkey. Zorlu Energy successfully put into operation Sarıtepe and Demirciler Wind Plants within the framework of Rotor II project. Sarıtepe-Demirciler Wind Farm project has 80,3 MW of installed power and started to electricity production in full capacity. Moreover, Zorlu Energy is the investor and the operator of the first wind farm in Pakistan. Zorlu Energy General Manager Sinan Ak, “With the installation of Sarıtepe-Demirciler Wind Energy Farm, an investment of 100 million euros in Bahçe district of Osmaniye, the ratio of domestic and renewable energy in our domestic portfolio has gone up to 67 percent; we have reached a 215.3 MW wind power in Turkey and a total of 271.7 MW power combined with our wind plant in Pakistan.” states. 

Concentrating efforts on renewables 

Zorlu Energy has set a target to unleash the potential of energy to ensure sustainability and a better life, as well as investing in renewable resources and installing technological systems producing efficient energy in the industry. Fulfilling each stage of energy production in a complementary way from project design to construction and from the operation to the maintenance of power plants, Zorlu Energy offers a diversity of high-value-added services in a wide range of areas such as electricity production and trading, energy plants’ “turn-key” planning and construction, and their long-term maintenance and operation. 

One of the industry’s leading establishments with an installed capacity of 700 MW in Turkey, thanks to its production portfolio of 3 natural gas plants, 7 hydroelectric plants, 3 geothermal plants, and 4 wind farms, the Zorlu Energy has a total installed capacity of 1046 MW with its investments in Pakistan and Israel. While determining the impact areas to be managed related to sustainability, Zorlu Energy attaches utmost importance to social and environmental impact analyses as much as such vital subjects as protection of natural resources and security of demand in energy. Actively measuring and decreasing emissions, the Group obtained ISO 14064-1 certificate which covers measuring and reporting principles of greenhouse gases in 2011. Moreover, Zorlu Energy is the first energy company in Turkey to calculate its carbon footprint in 2009. It has published the first sustainability report in the energy sector in Turkey. It is the first energy company to sign “Carbon Emission Sale Agreement” with the project put into practice in the Gökçedağ Wind Energy Power Plant.

Gold Standard passport 

Through contributions to social and environmental sustainability, wind power projects of Zorlu Energy with its remarkable renewable energy projects hold this certificate, the most prestigious one among standards rating energy projects in the carbon market. General Manager Ak, explains: “Our wind plants, Gökçedağ, Sarıtepe and Demirciler and also the wind plant in Pakistan, that is also the first of the country, have all received “Gold Standard”, the best practice benchmark and certification body designing the strongest processes that maximize the impact of efforts to deliver clean and responsible energy”. Ak, stating that they were developing projects that are moving Turkey’s vision forward in domestic and renewable energy and added that having “Gold Standard” certificate, the most prestigious one among the standards which rate energy projects processed in voluntary carbon market in all wind projects, is a significant outcome of their success.

All 4 wind plants, with their high technology and efficient practices, prevent the emission of approximately 400 thousand tons of CO₂ in total, whereby verifying and inspiring greater confidence for a sustainable and equitable world.  “In all our operations, we attach importance to social and environmental sustainability as much as economic sustainability and we do whatever is required for this.  We will continue to implement such projects if we consider them to be inspiring for our industry”, Ak cites.

Unveiling Pakistan’s best and untouched wind potential of the world, improves operation skills   

Zorlu Energy, committed to undertaking leading projects both in Turkey and abroad, has completed Pakistan’s first private sector energy investment in 2013 by constructing the country’s first wind farm. Utility interest in wind power is increasing because it complements Pakistan’s reliance on new energy resources and more than 21,000 MW generation capabilities were planned in order to decrease the gap between supply and demand. Therefore Zorlu Energy works hard to unveil the best and untouched wind potential of the world in Pakistan integrating its expertise with full commitment to the renewable energy investments. 

Pakistan Wind Farm, with a capacity of 56.4 MW, has been constructed in Jhimpir with a US $ 151 million investment by Zorlu Enerji Pakistan. The plant is the country’s first wind farm and generates 159 million kWh of electricity per year, meeting demand of 350,000 houses. The plant contributes to the growth of Pakistan’s renewable capacity and to the lowering of the country’s dependence on imported energy sources. The plant was also rewarded with the “Middle East Renewables Deal of the Year 2011 Award” by the Euromoney Publications’ Project Finance magazine.