COP31 Starts at Home: Çanakkale Deserves to Be Known for Its Tomatoes, Not Another Coal Power Plant
20 August, 2026
Author: Nilay Vardar
In Çanakkale, people think of cheese, tomatoes, and ancient legends before they think of coal.
A beautiful province in northwestern Türkiye, Çanakkale is home to the country’s world-famous Ezine cheese, prized tomatoes, and beautiful seas. It’s also the gateway to the ancient city of Troy, which has returned to the global spotlight with Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, renewing interest in one of history’s most enduring legends.
For millions of people, Çanakkale represents history, fertile land and breathtaking landscapes. It’s hard to imagine a place less suited to becoming an even bigger coal hub. But that’s exactly what’s at stake.
Cengiz Holding is seeking approval to add a new 1,050 MW unit to its 1,320 MW imported coal-fired CENAL power plant in Çanakkale’s town of Karabiga. Described as a “capacity increase”, the proposal would effectively create another large coal-fired power station, extending pollution and dependence on imported coal for decades to come.
This is happening at precisely the moment Türkiye is preparing to host COP31.
Only a month ago, in July 2026, activists and campaigners celebrated the cancellation of the planned expansion of the Afşin-Elbistan A coal power plant in central Türkiye, after years of determined legal and community resistance. This was an important reminder that coal projects can be stopped when local people refuse to give up, and even the international press welcomed the move during the country’s COP31 Presidency.
But as one coal expansion was stopped, another was moving through the approval process.
In Turkish, there is a well-known saying: “Bu ne perhiz, bu ne lahana turşusu?” or “What kind of diet is this, and what kind of pickle is this?” Roughly translated, it looks at a stark contradiction between one’s words and actions. That question now hangs over Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency.
The COP Presidency carries political responsibility. It’s expected to build trust, encourage greater climate ambition and demonstrate leadership by example. Approving one of the country’s largest new coal projects while the impacts of climate change are more present with every day does just the opposite. In June, Turkish and Australian CSOs urged respective COP co-presidencies to take bold steps to transition away from fossil fuels.
The irony is particularly striking. Çanakkale has spent years resisting coal. Local communities challenged project after project in the courts. Their efforts stopped several proposed coal plants, including the Çırpılar project. The fight against CENAL itself stretches back more than a decade. Although locals won important legal victories, the project ultimately went ahead after a new Environmental Impact Assessment approval was issued in 2019.
For many local residents, the latest expansion proposal feels like history repeating itself.
In its petition campaign, Greenpeace Türkiye states that 152,500 m³ of hot cooling water per hour is planned to be discharged into the sea for the plant to operate, warning that this could threaten the Marmara Sea, which is still struggling with the mucilage crisis, as well as the habitat of endangered Mediterranean monk seals.
At the recent Coal-Free Çanakkale Forum, organised by local civil society organisations, participants from across Türkiye gathered to renew their opposition.
Their message was consistent.
Coal pollution is already damaging public health. The region already has five coal-fired power plants. Agriculture, fisheries and tourism are already under pressure. Building another coal unit would only deepen these impacts while moving Türkiye further away from the commitments to move away from fossil fuels expected from a COP President leading climate action.
As Dr Ayşe Güneş of the Çanakkale Medical Chamber reminded participants, coal pollution contributes to cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Süheyla Doğan of the Kazdağı Natural and Cultural Assets Protection Association pointed to the contradiction of promoting climate leadership abroad while expanding coal at home.
Pınar Bilir of the İDA Solidarity Association noted that local organisations have already challenged many projects through the courts—a remarkable record of community resistance against overwhelming odds.
Former village headman Hüseyin Soylu recalled the successful campaign that stopped the Çırpılar coal power plant. “We already knew the impacts of coal because of the nearby Çan power plant,” he said. “We went from village to village and collected signatures from 71 of 76 village headmen. We were strong because local communities stood together and civil society stood with us. Real victories begin at the local level.”
Mehmet Dalkanat of the Afşin-Elbistan Life and Nature Protection Platform delivered a stark warning based on his community’s experience: “We are already paying a heavy price for the coal plants operating in Afşin-Elbistan,” he said. “We do not want the people of Karabiga to pay the same price. Years from now, the same health impacts—including rising cancer cases—will emerge here too, but by then it will be too late. That is why we say: do not build another coal power plant in Karabiga.”
Their determination also highlights another reality.
Communities should not have to spend decades fighting the same battles simply because powerful companies continue returning with revised applications. The proposed expansion comes from Cengiz Holding, one of Türkiye’s largest and most politically influential conglomerates. That makes local resistance even more remarkable—but it also makes political leadership even more necessary.
Türkiye has repeatedly said it wants COP31 to accelerate global climate action.
If that ambition is genuine, it should begin at home.
Climate leadership is measured by decisions, not declarations. By permits denied, not speeches delivered. By protecting communities and investing in the future, rather than extending the life of fossil fuels.
Because when representatives from all over the world arrive in Antalya for COP31, they will not only be listening to what Türkiye says. They will be watching what Türkiye does.
BFF will be present at COP31 in Antalya. For any media inquiries, please contact BFF Communications Director Nilay Vardar. nilay.vardar@bff.earth
