A village head opposing a planned geothermal power project in Muş’s Varto (Gimgim) district warned that its location on an active fault line could heighten earthquake risks while harming agriculture and livestock.
The Çaylar Basin in Muş’s Varto district is facing an ecological and seismic threat due to geothermal drilling planned by the U.S.-based company Ignis H2 Energy. The project, which would directly affect five villages, is planned just 260 meters from residential areas. Local residents have been resisting the Geothermal Power Plant (GPP) project, warning it could both trigger active fault lines and contaminate agricultural land through heavy chemical waste.
Çayan Dursun, village head of Reqasa (Içmeler), said the process had been carried out in secrecy through “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Not Required” decisions, without public knowledge. He assessed the destruction the project could cause, from earthquake risks to heavy metal pollution.
Dursun stressed that the people of Gimgim have formed committees against the GPP project and said the legal and social struggle would continue.
Seismic risk is one of our main reasons for opposing it
Village head Çayan Dursun said they object to the project due to its possible impact on water resources and public health, stressing that their greatest concern is the region’s seismic activity. Dursun said: “In fact, there are many reasons why we oppose this project. We are against it because of environmental concerns, water resources and human health. But our most important reason for opposition is that this operation is being carried out directly on fault lines. The fault line in our region is the East Anatolian Fault, and it is an active fault; in other words, it is a point where an earthquake is expected in the near term. In this method, they go three kilometers underground to find hot water, bring that water to the surface and generate electricity from its steam. We believe such operations on a fault line could trigger the faults or increase the intensity of an earthquake that may occur.”
Dursun said the project’s operating system could increase pressure on the earth’s crust and assessed the danger it could create in these words: “Company officials say they will carry out this process through a closed system. In a closed system, heat is brought from below to the surface and electricity is generated from the steam. But that water is also mineral-rich and chemical-laden water. We know that after electricity is generated, this water will be injected back into its source, and that this is done under pressure. We believe this pressurized process could create stress on fault lines and cause earthquakes. The most fundamental issue is seismic risk. This danger is one of the main reasons we oppose the project.”
We fear chemical waste could contaminate nature and our health
Dursun also voiced concerns over how existing geothermal facilities operate in Turkey and drew attention to the risks in practice. He said, “There are 60 geothermal facilities in Turkey, and operations there are carried out not through a closed system as claimed, but through an open system. All underground fluids are mineral-rich and chemical-laden waters. We face a major risk that these waters could be discharged into surface waters after electricity generation. Looking at practices in Turkey, for example, around the Büyük Menderes region, we see facilities operating in a similar way. This means spring waters are being polluted.
Since people in the region rely on livestock breeding and agriculture, this pollution would negatively affect production. The possibility of chemical waters mixing with clean spring water is one of the most significant environmental risks of the project.”
Dursun also assessed the facilities’ potential to create air pollution and said: “The human health dimension of this issue is also important. In production areas, there may be cases where filtration systems are not used due to cost. That would mean chemicals released into the air returning to the soil through rain. This could have serious impacts on nature and agriculture. That is why we do not want this geothermal power plant established here.”
Varto residents have formed committees against the project
Providing information on the plans of Ignis H2 Energy, which seeks to operate in Varto, Dursun said the company aims to open a total of ten wells in five villages.
He also said: “This American company is planning to open ten wells in five villages in Varto. They plan the first well in our village of Çallıdere. If they find hot water at the level they want, they will open the other wells as well. In that case, the entire Çaylar Basin will be included in the project area. The project is planned just 260 meters from residential areas.”
Dursun also addressed the legal dimension of the project, saying the EIA process had not been carried out transparently enough. He said: “With a change in legislation, an ‘EIA Not Required’ decision can be issued for areas under 25 hectares. However, the public was supposed to be informed during this process. We learned about this project late. We believe the process has not been conducted transparently.”
The village head added that people in Varto have organized locally and in different cities, formed committees against the project and are closely monitoring the process.
Debate grows over geothermal project in Varto basin
Under the GPP project planned by IGNIS H2 Energy Production Inc. in Muş’s Varto district, ten drilling wells are planned that would affect a total of 16 villages, primarily Reqasa, Güzelkent, Küçüktepe, Teknedüzü, Çalıdere and Köprücük.
Local residents and various platforms have voiced opposition to the project, citing its potential impact on agricultural land, pastures and water resources.
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