MB Holding Board Chairman Muharrem Balat talked about the current importance of renewable energy and geothermal energy at the alternative energy seminar held in Bursa.
The Alternative Energy seminar, organized by alternatifenerji.com, where pioneers of Turkey’s renewable energy field came together, to ensure that young people are informed about clean technology and leading companies in this field, and to inform the new generation about the future of the renewable energy sector with the right career guidance, was held in Bursa at the Atatürk Culture and Congress Center. Muharrem Balat, President of the International Geothermal Energy Association and Chairman of the Board of MB Holding, who participated in the organization as a speaker, told the participants about the importance of renewable energy, the position of geothermal energy in the world and in Turkey, and the latest developments in this field.
Balat, who also touched upon future scenarios and investment projects regarding geothermal energy in the seminar that was held with the intense participation of university academics and students, said: “Considering the scarcity of other energy sources for Turkey, the importance of renewable energy sources is increasing even more. However, most of the renewable energy sources are not base energy sources. Since these sources are not base energy, they do not have the chance to be used continuously. However, there may be a possibility of supplementing in certain amounts. Geothermal energy is an exception to these. Being able to be used continuously and being an environmentally friendly energy source makes geothermal one of the most important energy sources.”
Referring to the success story of geothermal investments, Muharrem Balat said: “We are the founders of the first private geothermal power plant and binary system in Turkey. We realized the investment that many said could not be made, by taking great risks and making great efforts. With the full commissioning of the second stage of our DORA-3 power plant, we are experiencing the justified pride of producing a total of 350,000,000 KWh hours of electricity per year for our state in our power plants with an installed capacity of 50 MWe.”
Balat: “The Reason We Care About the Energy Sector as a Holding is Related to How Much We Care About Our World and Humanity”
Balat, who emphasized the importance of the energy sector for MB Holding in his words, said; “As a Holding, we attach great importance to the energy sector. The reason for this is related to how much we care about our world and humanity. In this context, we not only produce energy, but also establish a greenhouse with a closed area of 41,400 m2 and grow bunch tomatoes with the soilless agriculture method in our greenhouse heated with geothermal water. We did not end our projects with this and decided to add geothermal tourism to our energy cycle. This facility, which will be built on an area of 195 acres in Aydın for rest and treatment purposes, is already a candidate to be the pioneer of its sector in Turkey. As a growing institution, we work to protect the environment and natural resources and to contribute to social and cultural heritage. One of the biggest reasons why we are here today at this seminar is to instill this awareness in our youth, who are the future of our world, which we have adopted as a principle.”
Muharrem Balat concluded his speech at the seminar by saying that we should not misuse natural resources for our commercial purposes, otherwise they may be destroyed and that geothermal energy is a diamond hung on the chest of Anatolia.
