Across Mardin (Mêrdîn), particularly with projects approved in 2024 and 2025, agricultural and grazing lands are being converted into energy plants. While a 52 megawatt solar power plant owned by Cengiz Holding/Eti Bakır is actively operating in Kızıltepe (Şemrex), new companies have entered the scene along the Derik (Dêrik) and Artuklu line. Çemtaş Çelik received approval in September 2025 for a 37 megawatt capacity plant with an investment of 1.4 billion Turkish lira in Derik, while CW Enerji completed the Environmental Impact Assessment process for its large-scale project covering 62 hectares. Although Azyol Enerji’s project in Artuklu was halted by a court decision, major industrial companies such as İskenderun Iron and Steel Works (ISDEMİR) have obtained new approvals to convert grazing lands in the region into solar energy sites.
A common feature of these projects is the rapid issuance of “positive Environmental Impact Assessment” decisions despite objections from local residents, leading to grazing lands becoming unusable for livestock. While companies expand their profits through state-backed purchase guarantees and incentives, local people are engaged in legal struggles against the expropriation of their lands.
The hidden ecological cost of solar projects in scientific data
What exactly is a Solar Power Plant, and is it truly the “clean” energy source it is claimed to be? Solar energy is the conversion of radiation energy released through the fusion process in the sun’s core into electricity and heat via photovoltaic panels or mirrored concentrator systems.
It is argued that the climate crisis caused by fossil fuels, the necessity to reduce carbon emissions, and the need to ensure energy security have made this clean and sustainable resource a global priority. However, the oil crisis that emerged in 1973 pushed the world to search for alternative energy sources. Instead of coal-fired thermal power plants for electricity generation, sources such as wind and solar were proposed. In this context, projects such as Hydroelectric Power Plants, Wind Power Plants, Solar Power Plants, and Geothermal Power Plants came to the fore. As the world experiences a new oil crisis amid the Iran–United States war, these projects are likely to be discussed even more.
According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), global solar energy capacity reached 1,865 gigawatts as of 2024, with investments concentrated particularly in China, the United States, and European Union countries. Regions within the world’s “solar belt” stand out as areas with the highest radiation potential. In Turkey, data from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Solar Energy Potential Atlas (GEPA) show that, due to its geographical location, the country has one of the highest solar potentials in Europe, with an annual average of 2,737 hours of sunshine. In Turkey, solar power plants are concentrated in regions such as Konya, Urfa (Riha), and Kayseri.
In regions like Mardin, which hold both historical and natural protected status, large-scale solar power plants do not only create visual pollution but also lead to irreversible damage to ecosystems. Scientific reports and environmental impact assessments reveal that these facilities, built without adequate control, impose significant ecological costs under the guise of “clean energy.”
Soil degradation, erosion risk and drought
Land leveling and vegetation clearing during the installation of solar panels leave the topsoil unprotected. According to reports published by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), excavation and grading over large areas lead to soil compaction, disruption of drainage channels, and accelerated surface runoff, causing severe erosion. In the sloped terrain of Artuklu, this situation carries the potential to trigger landslides and flood risks in lower settlements during rainy periods.
It also poses a risk of drought. According to the same ANL report, parabolic trough and central tower systems often rely on conventional steam plants for electricity generation, and these plants typically consume water for cooling. Any increase in water demand in arid regions can put additional pressure on existing water resources. The use or leakage of chemicals in solar energy facilities, such as dust suppressants, dielectric fluids, and herbicides, can also lead to contamination of surface and groundwater.
According to 2024–2025 water year data, Mardin falls within the category of extreme drought. The year 2025 has been recorded as the driest in the past half century, and Mardin has become one of the provinces experiencing the most critical water stress in the region. Although rainfall was observed at the beginning of the 2026 season, experts warn that the effects of agricultural drought will continue into 2026. Approximately 70 percent of cultivated lands in the Mardin plain face drought risk, indicating that such projects may further intensify drought in the region.
Heat balance and microclimate change
The phenomenon known as the “photovoltaic heat island” refers to the process by which panels absorb and accumulate solar radiation, heating the surrounding air more than normal. According to findings from studies published in Scientific Reports, this temperature increase alters the region’s microclimate, leading both to the drying of local vegetation and to accelerated erosion of historic stone structures due to thermal expansion.
Temperatures in Mardin and the surrounding region have also reached extreme levels. In July 2025, a record high of 49.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Kızıltepe, marking the highest temperature ever measured.
Pressure on biodiversity and wildlife
Metal structures spread across large areas cause habitat fragmentation, blocking migration and feeding corridors for wildlife. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), polarized light reflected from panel surfaces creates a “lake effect” that misleads aquatic insects and birds, leading to population loss and disruptions in the ecological chain.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), chemical solvents used particularly during panel cleaning, as well as heavy metals such as cadmium and silicon tetrachloride contained in panels, pose a risk of leaking into soil and groundwater in the event of damage.
Azyol project halted
Among the solar power plant, projects in Artuklu, the most controversial and widely debated due to allegations of ecological destruction belonged to Azyol Enerji, operating under Azyol Holding. Azyol Holding has shown aggressive growth in sectors such as marble, mining, construction, and energy, often described as part of an “extractive economy” based directly on environmental degradation. The company has, in recent years, redirected capital accumulated from its core activities in marble and quarry operations toward energy investments supported by state-backed purchase guarantees.
In Artuklu in particular, the solar project planned in a manner that effectively seized villagers’ registered agricultural lands and grazing areas became one of the clearest examples of how the company’s profit-driven approach disregards social living spaces. However, as a result of public resistance and legal challenges, the court ruled to halt the project, formally recognizing the damage it would cause to agricultural lands and cultural assets.
Despite the court’s cancellation of the project, the company continues to pursue similar “storage-integrated solar” approvals in regions such as Bitlis (Bedlîs), Batman (Êlih), and Diyarbakır, aiming to transform the region’s geography into an extensive energy construction zone.
Industrial giant Iskenderun Iron and Steel enters the scene
Another company carrying out solar power plant projects in Mardin is İskenderun Iron and Steel Inc. As one of Turkey’s largest heavy industry corporations, the company has recently moved to the center of ecological debates with its large-scale solar projects presented under the banner of “green transformation.” Operating under the Armed Forces Pension Fund Group, the company has shifted its focus toward grazing lands and public lands in the region in order to reduce high energy costs in iron and steel production.
In particular, the Mardin-2 solar project, planned to cover approximately 172 hectares within the boundaries of Artuklu and Mazıdağı, poses a threat, like other major projects in the region, of turning agricultural land and ecosystems into industrial zones. Under the guise of “decarbonization,” the company has secured consecutive “positive Environmental Impact Assessment” decisions for hundreds of megawatts of installed capacity, not only in Mardin (Mêrdîn) but also in provinces such as Urfa, Diyarbakır, Şırnak (Şirnex), Çorum, and Çankırı.
For example, a solar project in Diyarbakır, planned to be built on approximately 200 hectares of grazing land with an investment value of 4.5 billion Turkish lira, represents part of an expansionist strategy directly targeting local ecosystems and livestock-based livelihoods.
Although these massive investments are marketed as “renewable energy,” covering thousands of acres of grazing land with panels effectively means dispossessing local communities of their means of livelihood and transforming the region’s geography into a “free energy field” for heavy industry.
Cengiz Holding again
Another project in the region belongs to Cengiz Holding. The massive public tenders awarded to the holding and its subsidiary Eti Bakır have been widely criticized for being based not on free market conditions but on “natural monopolies” and tailor-made specifications created through political power. Within its energy portfolio, the holding operates solar projects presented under the guise of “clean energy,” including a 52 megawatt plant in Kızıltepe and a 45 megawatt plant in Doğubayazıt (Agirî Bazîd).
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