Sumitomo receives order for Steam Turbine Generator for a Turkish geothermal power plant, making it one of the largest geothermal power plants in the Middle East

Sumitomo Corporation (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Susumu Kato; hereinafter "Sumitomo")  announced that it received an order in June this year from Zorlu Energy (Zorlu Energy Group), one of the most aggressive independent power producers in Turkey, for a 60-megawatt steam turbine generator manufactured by Fuji Electric , which Zorlu Energy plans to install at its Kizildere geothermal plant as part of its efforts to expand the facility.

Located in western Anatolia, Turkey, the Kizildere geothermal power plant was developed by the state-owned Turkish Electricity Authority in 1984 as Turkey's first geothermal power plant. The right to operate the power plant was transferred to Zorlu Energy in 2008 as part of Turkey's plan to privatize the power plants. At present, the power plant is operated by Zorlu Energy.
Currently, Zorlu Energy plans to invest a total of US$200 million to build the 60-megawatt geothermal power plant at a site adjacent to an existing geothermal power station, which has a power-generating capacity of 20 megawatts. The combined power-generating capacity of the two power plants will be 80 megawatts, the largest of its kind for a geothermal power plant operating in the Middle East. The steam used at the Kizildere plant for power generation is recycled and used in district heating systems for households in neighboring areas. Compared with a thermal power plant with the same power generation capacity, the Kizildere geothermal plant has made a greater contribution to curbing global warming.

Turkey is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of geothermal resources. In the past, however, the country has made little effort to develop geothermal power, preferring to focus on directly using steam from the low temperature geothermal resources for district heating systems and greenhouse heating. As a result, geothermal power generation in the country totals only 90 megawatts.
However, in light of growing worldwide attention to renewable energy, a renewable energy bill was revised in Turkey in December 2010, which resulted in a significant increase in the minimum amount of power purchase guaranteed by the state. Private-sector companies in Turkey are supposed to play a leading role in expanding geothermal power generation in line with the central government's goal of boosting such generation in the country to 550 megawatts by 2015. Multiple geothermal development projects are already being considered in Turkey, with many domestic and international companies showing an interest. Under these circumstances, geothermal power generation projects are expected to gather momentum in the country in the future.

To date, Sumitomo has actively undertaken geothermal power generation projects in such countries as Indonesia and New Zealand. On the strength of the latest deal with the Turkish company, Sumitomo aims to expand the scope of areas for such projects to Turkey and other parts of the world and to contribute further to curbing global warming and promoting regional economic development.

Reference: location of Kizildere geothermal power plant