Taşzemin Co., a private company, is carrying out the permit processes for a 200 MW capacity coal plant and an open pit coal mining project right in between Çırpılar and Villages in Yenice (Çanakkale) alongside the Ida Mountains, rich in terms of biodiversity. The coal mining site is 845 hectares of forest and agricultural lands. 820 hectares of the sites is high quality agricultural soil.

The villagers are actively running agricultural business and exporting vegetables abroad. There are irrigation investments going on in the site which will increase the agriculture revenues per hectare by 2,5 times. However, according to the design of the project, the plant will use the water of the irrigation investment to cool the plant.

There is robust opposition in the site. 71 village heads of Yenice town out of 75, sent petitions asking the Ministry of Environment to end the coal plant project.

The company was granted an EIA permit on 29th June 2018 which was taken to the court by TEMA Foundation (a national environment NGO), Ida Conservation Society (Kazdağı Koruma Derneği, a local NGO) and Chamber of Agricultural Engineers. The court case is ongoing. The court granted a stay of execution decision for EIA permit.

The mining site: 845 hectares

Total coal in the site: 48,8 million tonnes of coal

The project cost: 305.5 million TL / 58.7 million USD (1 USD=5,2 TL)

The amount of the lignite to be burnt per year: 3.5 million tonnes of coal per year

The amount of the electricity to be generated: 1.3 million kWh

Av. calorie of the coal: 1200 kcal/kg

Humidity: 25%

Ash: 53%

Sulphur: 1%