Turkish and US companies have signed a contract for the construction of four power plants worth US$818.5M as part of planned energy business worth US$10B, according to the Turkish Energy Minister, Cumhur Ersumer. He said the agreed projects are part of a US$30B mutual trade volume potential between Turkey and the US. The two countries will soon also sign deals on clean and high technology energy projects, according to the US Energy Secretary, Bill Richardson.
The agreements will include construction and power sales for two build, operate, transfer hydroelectric power plant projects to be built on a turnkey basis. US firm black-veatch and Turkey’s Bayindir-Limak will build a 194MW hydro power station and dam near Polatli in central Anatolia which will cost US$240M. The project will begin in 2000 and will be completed within five years. A second 380MW hydro power station will also be built near Polatli and will cost US$240M. This project will be undertaken by Lemna, HDR Engineering, Benham and Voest Alpine MCE of the US, along with AGE and Ceylan of Turkey.
Meanwhile, US funding will also be provided for the construction of five other hydro power plants in Turkey, according to EBA Report. They are: Kargi (194MW); Gursogut (242MW); Konaktepe I and II (258MW), Alpasian II (200MW), and Hakkari (208MW).