Geophysics engineer and seismologist Associate Professor Savaş Karabulut stated that the geothermal project covering 22 villages in Varto (Gimgim) and Karlıova (Kanîreş) is not driven by energy needs but is a profit-oriented operation, emphasizing that drilling into the heart of fault lines in an area where electricity generation is scientifically impossible is “like playing with a barrel of gunpowder.” Karabulut said, “This Environmental Impact Assessment report, which engulfs 22 villages and grazing lands, is not a technical document but an operation to pollute and commodify the geography.”
The districts of Varto and Karlıova are under global scrutiny not only for their grazing lands but also for the massive seismic energy beneath them. Warning about deep drilling in this area, known as the “Bingöl-Karlıova Triple Junction,” one of the regions with the highest earthquake potential in Turkey, Assoc. Prof. Savaş Karabulut pointed out that changes in underground fluid pressure could trigger seismic activity. He stated that the Environmental Impact Assessment report prepared for the project is technically inadequate and added that the project invites ecological destruction while also aiming to dispossess local communities.
Mining law and the encirclement of international capital
Assoc. Prof. Savaş Karabulut pointed out that, particularly after 2020, intensive geothermal exploration and operating licenses have been granted across many parts of Turkey under the pretext of the country’s strategic goals. Karabulut said: “In Western Anatolia, in regions such as Aydın, Çanakkale, Manisa, and Izmir, electricity generation in areas above 150 degrees has become widespread. However, geothermal energy is not as harmless as it is often portrayed. Scientific studies conducted in the Aydın region clearly show that uncontrolled gas emissions, atmospheric effects, and soil and water pollution have increased cancer cases.” Providing a historical perspective, Karabulut added: “Our underground resources, which were nationalized in 1933, were opened to international companies with the Mining Law enacted in 1985 and subsequent geothermal regulations. Today, there are justified criticisms that our underground resources are being handed over to national and international markets instead of serving public interest. We have seen the painful consequences of this process in the worker massacre in Iliç and the ecological destruction in Fatsa and Artvin. Now, we are faced with an Environmental Impact Assessment report prepared in Karlıova, Bingöl, by a United States-based company called Ignis Energy.”
Politics, war and the energy equation
Karabulut recalled that Ignis Energy operates in nearly 40 countries around the world and continued: “At a time when war continues in the Middle East and Zionism seeks to destroy peoples, the extent to which United States-based companies are entering our geography through energy policies must be questioned from the outset. The primary aim of these companies is profit; they generate revenue by exploiting and polluting geographies. This Environmental Impact Assessment report, prepared in September 2025, plans the drilling of 18 wells across a massive area of 2,160 hectares, directly covering 17–18 villages. Resources that belong to the people are being transferred to companies as economic commodities instead of being shared with the public. The report’s indication that workers will be employed in 12-hour heavy shifts is, in itself, a serious issue in terms of labor ethics and safety. The technical data in the report are full of inconsistencies. While it claims that hot water will be found at a depth of 2,500 meters, the company’s own field studies indicate that high temperatures have been reached at much shallower depths. This is a contradiction. Moreover, the report clearly shows that grasslands, grazing areas, and agricultural lands, the main sources of livelihood in the region, will be directly affected by the project. Once heavy metals and chemicals contained in geothermal fluids come into contact with soil or surface water, both livestock farming and agriculture in that geography will come to an end. The compensation set at 800,000 Turkish lira for the land is, when compared to the region’s value, almost tragicomic and stands as clear evidence of dispossession.”
Electricity cannot be generated, earthquake risk cannot be ignored
Savaş Karabulut stated, “Scientifically, I must say this: given the current geological conditions and water temperatures, electricity generation here is not possible,” and continued: “This project does not have a scientific basis. The most dangerous aspect is its seismic dimension. The project area is only a few kilometers from the Karlıova fault zone and the Northeast fault line. The ground structure falls into highly problematic classes such as Z6–Z7. Conducting deep drilling that would disrupt underground fluid balance so close to fault lines is like playing with a barrel of gunpowder. The Environmental Impact Assessment report, however, is a technically inadequate document that glosses over these vital risks with copy-paste statements. This project is not a necessity for the local population. It will destroy grazing lands, contaminate water resources, and trigger seismic risks. The claim that it will address unemployment in the region is an illusion compared to the long-term destruction it will cause. As a scientist and an engineer responsible to society, I warn decision-makers: the implementation of this project will lead to environmental devastation and social dispossession; it must be reconsidered immediately.”
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