A new report published by the Right to Clean Air Platform ahead of World Clean Air Day on September 7th reveals the premature deaths, chronic diseases, and total economic cost that will result from the air pollution caused by the construction of two additional units at the Afşin Elbistan A Thermal Power Plant, which generates electricity by burning coal.
The coal-fired Afşin Elbistan A Thermal Power Plant in Kahramanmaraş is planned to be expanded with two additional 688 MW generating units. This expansion project, equivalent to a new large-scale power plant, will worsen the region’s persistent public health issues since the 1980s.The economic burden caused by the project’s health impacts is enormous: 88.4 billion Turkish liras or 2.6 billion US dollars.
According to the report, the construction of two additional units at the Afşin Elbistan A Thermal Power Plant will lead to significant air pollution. This pollution is projected to result in 2,268 premature deaths during the plant’s 35-year operation, as well as 2,896 cases of childhood asthma. Furthermore, it is anticipated that 907 babies will be born prematurely and 514 babies will be born underweight due to the pollution. Additionally, the report suggests that the illnesses caused by the pollution will result in the loss of 755,904 working days.
The allocation of 88.4 billion TL could fund the construction of 29 hospitals
The modeling study indicates that the combined health costs from premature deaths, hospital admissions, and other medical expenditures will average USD 2.6 billion or TL 88.4 billion at the current exchange rate.If this 88.4 billion TL health cost were allocated to public investments, 29 hospitals with 500 beds each could be built.
Deniz Gümüşel, Coordinator of the Right to Clean Air Platform, said:
When estimating the health effects and economic expenses, we considered that the power plant had implemented all necessary measures to minimize air pollution and had fully complied with air quality regulations in Turkey. However, despite these investments, a health cost of 88.4 billion TL was identified. In other words, regardless of the high-tech filters you install, producing electricity by burning coal remains a significant burden on public health and the economy. By preventing the economic cost of health losses, resources can be created to solve the health problems experienced in the region for years due to thermal power plants. On September 7, World Clean Air Day, we advocate for investing in health and clean air, not coal.”
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has yet to announce its decision on the project’s EIA report, which received considerable public objections since 2022.
What happened?
The environmental impact assessment process for the construction of two additional 688 MW units at the Afşin Elbistan A Thermal Power Plant began in 2022. On April 2 of this year, at the Review and Evaluation Board meeting, residents and civil initiatives from the Afşin Elbistan region, along with national environmental and climate organizations, expressed their opposition to the project. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has not yet announced its decision on the EIA report.
Turkey’s two largest thermal power plants are located in the region: the 1355 MW Afşin Elbistan A Thermal Power Plant, commissioned in 1984, and the 1440 MW Afşin Elbistan B Thermal Power Plant, commissioned in 2005. Their air pollution has caused over 17,000 premature deaths in the past 40 years.
Note to the editor:
Click here to access the report.
Click here for photos of the Afşin Elbistan power plant.
