Geothermal Energy Sources and Geothermal Power Plant Technologies in Turkey

Abstract

Geothermal energy is used for electric power generation and direct utilization in Turkey. The highest enthalpy geothermal sources are located in Western Anatolia; thus, geothermal power generation projects have also been realized in Western Anatolia since 1984. The present installed gross capacity for electric power generation is 345 MWe from 11 geothermal power plants in 2014, while new 395 MWe of capacity is still under construction or projected at 19 geothermal fields and will be completed in 2016–2017. In Turkey, flash cycle power plants are situated in Kizildere (Denizli) and Germencik (Aydin) geothermal fields because of over than 230 °C geothermal reservoir temperatures. There are two different geothermal power plants in Kizildere geothermal field that one is 17.2 MWe single-flash system and the new one consists of 60 MWe triple-flash + 20 MWe binary cycle, as total 80 MWe capacity. In Germencik, 47.4 MWe double-flash geothermal power plant uses power generation. Except from these three geothermal power plants, binary cycle (organic Rankine cycle, ORC) plants use under 200 °C geothermal reservoir temperatures in all installed capacities in Western Anatolia. New geothermal reservoir studies are still under investigation for the eastern part of Turkey. Because of the lower reservoir temperature values at these regions, the possible power generation cycle may be required to binary system (Kalina cycle).