Turkey’s new energy strategic plan, which aims to deliver liquefied petroleum gas to cities without natural gas, may enhance employment opportunities, according to the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey’s LPG Council.
Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry plans to deliver LPG to eleven cities out of its eighty-one by 2016, according to Turkey’s new 2015-2019 Energy Strategic Plan. Additionally, Turkish electricity power plants will use LPG as a main fuel.
“The new strategy on LPG will increase the security of supply. The investments in LPG will create new job opportunities and increase employment opportunities. We should be thankful for this new strategy,� President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Yagiz Eyuboglu said.
Eyuboglu said that especially in winter there is an increase in demand for natural gas in Turkey. If there is a shortage of supply, power plants may use LPG as an alternative solution for this possible problem.
-Â LPG more costly than natural gas
On the other hand, Gurkan Topuzlar, president of the LPG Commission for Chamber of Mechanical Engineers of Turkey claims that the prohibitive cost of LPG along with the fact that Turkey is dependent on its supply mainly from imports renders this LPG as unfeasible as a viable natural gas alternative.Â
“LPG may be sent to cities which are without natural gas. It is technically possible but Turkey imports 88 percent of its LPG needs and it’s more costly than natural gas,� said Gurkan Topuzlar, president of the LPG Commission for Chamber of Mechanical Engineers of Turkey.
“When we import this much LPG, attempts to deliver LPG to other cities is not reasonable. Moreover, the most important problem is about pricing policy. Autogas, bottled and aerosol gas have different prices and taxes and this already harms the national treasury,� said Topuzlar.
There are 121 gas turbines operated by LPG in the world and 19 of them are located in Turkey. Some countries like Japan use LPG to operate power plants, but so far Turkey does not use LPG due to economic reasons.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency