Project – On record
This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of dateCesme Platformu
Çeşme Platformu, Turkey: Madeleine Kura, staafmadeleine@gmail.com +90-506-722 9821
Esen Fatma Kabadayi, efkabadayi@gmail.com, +90-532-417 5005

Project – On record
This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of dateCesme Platformu
Çeşme Platformu, Turkey: Madeleine Kura, staafmadeleine@gmail.com +90-506-722 9821
Esen Fatma Kabadayi, efkabadayi@gmail.com, +90-532-417 5005
Why this profile?
The Çeşme Wind energy project is located in a Nationally Protected Area and has been implemented with a total disregard for the local people, the local economy, culture and history, the region's special micro climate and agriculture and the environment.
What must happen
The court verdicts should be implemented, the area restored and the deeds transferred back to their real owners.
Sectors | Wind Electric Power Generation |
Location |
|
Status |
Planning
Design
Agreement
Construction
Operation
Closure
Decommission
|
Website | https://www.abkenerji.com |
The Çeşme Wind energy project in Turkey consists of six wind turbines, each 150 metres high, with a capacity of 18MW. The project was initiated in May 2015 by Turkish energy company Vega Energy (known until 2019 as ABK Energy). It required an investment of EUR 24 million. German company Nordex SE supplied the wind turbines. These turbines are located within a Nature Protection Area, and the project was implemented without consulting local people.
Social and human rights impacts
Community consultation Several groups of affected stakeholders were not consulted during the planning and certification process. Many landowners were informed first when the construction machines were on their private property, others even after construction was completed. Following a complaint, the organization “Gold Standard for the Global Goals” concluded the community consultation “did not comply with Gold Standard stakeholder engagement requirements”.
Harassment of people opposing the project The Çeşme Wind Energy Project has been the subject of strong opposition from local people and affected landowners. The company's response has included:
- Repeated attacks in local and regional media against people opposing the energy project. Unrelated, false and unsupported media stories were used to adversely affect the reputation of key campaigners and to question the motivations behind the campaign and influence local public opinion;
- Legal harassment through a barrage of criminal complaints, and the opening of multiple, spurious legal cases against key campaigners and administrators of the campaign’s social media and website;
- Filing complaints requesting the authorities to investigate campaigners under official Anti -Terror legislation and referring to them as ‘an organized, criminal group working against the energy company and 'broader national interests'. The company also requested the campaigner’s phones and bank accounts to be investigated;
- The company has filed a case at the İzmir Commercial court (hearing was on the 28 June 2019), alleging that 'actions against the project amount to unfair competition and have led to the failure of the project’.
A 2017 Germanwatch-Misereor report on Germany's energy sector and human rights stated on the Cesme Wind Power-Nordex SE project that, 'Livelihoods are threatened by the destruction of vital natural resources (soils,water etc.)' and that 'the German National Contact Point partially accepted only one complaint – against Nordex SE – concerning a wind farm in Turkey. In the course of the mediation procedure Nordex agreed to improve its due diligence process. This pledge relates to future cases, however, whereas the concerns of those directly affected in this specific case were not dealt with adequately.'
Environmental and climate impacts
Nature Protection Areas The Çeşme wind turbines are situated in the Sarnic Valley, recognized in 1994 as 1st and 2nd degree Nature Protection Areas for their environmental importance. These areas are home to many rare and protected species of plant and animal, some of which are only found on the peninsular.
Effects on local species An ornithological report (2012) by the Akdeniz University stated that, “It is inevitable that the turbines to be constructed in the area will directly and indirectly affect the living and inanimate beings around them.” The report further mentioned that, "Facilities that have a direct relationship with soil, vegetation and wildlife will also partially affect habitat use of native bird species that use the site as a habitat. Of the 79 bird species identified in the area, 21 are native." The existence of large wind turbines in such a small area can have a significant effect on the unique microclimate, potentially endangering local endemic species (Cesme Platformu).
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) No environmental impact assessment study was required for the development of this project in this extremely sensitive environment. The project was issued an 'EIA report not required' in 2008. A case against this decision was filed in 2014 at the Administrative court in Izmir, which rejected the need of an EIA. The verdict was opposed at the Supreme court in Ankara, that ruled that an EIA is needed. For five years the EIA case has been prolonged until June 2019.
Finance information on Vega Energy is not publicly available. However, according to information obtained privately from activists, Vega secured project financing in 2014 from Yapı Kredi, a Turkish bank 20% owned by Unicredit. A portion of the loan was provided by DZ Bank, but the loan facilitation was handled by Yapı Kredi. The loan was for EUR 20.7 mn with a maturity of 2029.
The German export credit agency Euler Hermes provided financial guarantees to Nordex SE, the supplier of the wind turbines.
Project sponsor
VEGA Ruzgar Enerji (formerly ABK Cesme Res)
TurkeyOther companies
Life Enerji
TurkeyNordex
GermanyStatkraft
NorwayNordex & ABK Çe?me RES's illegal passage
Video links
2020
2020-03-16 00:00:00 | Gold Standard investigation advises project should be suspended immediately
A Gold Standard investigation has found that "the project failed to inform Gold Standard with regards to the legal status and ongoing cases proceedings and that it didn’t fully comply with the Gold Standard Stakeholder Consultation requirements especially with regards to the identification of stakeholders, proactively engaging the stakeholders and considering their feedback and establishing a continuous input and grievance mechanism." Gold Standard decided to suspend the project.
2019
2019-04-30 00:00:00 | Non-conformity allegations against Çeşme Wind Power Project, Turkey
On 30 April 2019, Madeleine Staaf Kura submitted a letter requesting an official grievance be raised against a registered Gold Standard project - Çeşme Wind Power Project in Turkey. The complainant alleged that the project developer had not adhered to Gold standard principles during the implementation and operation phase of the project activity and had submitted to Register the project using misleading information.