Afşin Elbistan Is Not Doomed to Coal: Eyes on the Court’s Ruling

2 October, 2025

Nilay Vardar

“There isn’t a single household in Elbistan without cancer. Migratory birds no longer come here, and the vines no longer bear grapes. We don’t know how many thousands of years it will take for nature to give us back these fertile lands. So we say: let’s stop here, what’s gone is gone—let’s save what’s left.”

These words belong to Mehmet Dalkanat from the Afşin Elbistan Platform for the Protection of Life and Nature.

For nearly 40 years, the districts of Afşin and Elbistan in Türkiye’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaraş have lived in the shadow of coal. The two massive power plants, with a total installed capacity of 2,795 MW spread across eight units, have caused severe damage to the region’s air, water, and soil.

The toll on human health cannot be captured by numbers alone, but studies show that from their commissioning until 2020, these two plants caused 17,500 premature deaths. Furthermore, two additional planned units are projected to result in another 2,268 premature deaths. The total economic cost of these health impacts is estimated at 2.6 billion USD.

And yet, the numbers also tell another story: one of opportunity.The region’s solar potential is immense. If the 37 billion TL earmarked for the two new coal units were instead invested in solar power, a solar plant with storage could be built to cover the annual electricity needs of 688,000 households. 

In short, Afşin Elbistan is not doomed to coal. With the right investments in clean and dignified industries instead of coal, a just transition in the region is possible.

The local community has also been resisting coal for years. Thanks to their organised and determined struggle, three power plant projects were previously canceled.

But just as the people were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, plans emerged to add two new units of 688 MW each to the existing plant. The struggle began again—this time even stronger.

In response to the positive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) decision for the new units, the municipalities of Elbistan, Nurhak, and Ekinözü, together with the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), TEMA Foundation, Greenpeace Türkiye, and local residents, filed a lawsuit.

Good news came in September: the expert report concluded that the new units are not in the public interest. This decision once again validated the community’s fight.

Now all eyes are on the court’s final ruling. The outcome of this struggle is not only critical for the local community but also a turning point for Türkiye’s energy and climate policies.

These two new units represent the only active coal power plant project in Türkiye. If cancelled, the decision could mark the long-overdue end of new coal in the country.

But we must go further. For the existing plants, Türkiye urgently needs a coal phase-out plan grounded in a just transition, one that leaves no one behind.

The age of coal is over; clinging to it only leaves coal communities more vulnerable when plants inevitably shut down. The sooner and more carefully we plan the transition, the more the local people, and the environment, stand to gain.

Support the people of Afşin Elbistan; sign the petition here.