Enerjisa Üretim brought together the public, academia and private sectors for disaster preparedness.

Petroturk | Energy News

• Published July 22, 2025, 12:22 PM

Enerjisa Üretim organized a Disaster Management Conference to increase institutional and social resilience against disasters.

According to a statement from the company, Enerjisa Üretim hosted an inclusive meeting in the field of disaster management with the Disaster Management Conference held at its Head Office in Ataşehir, Istanbul.

The conference was organized with the aim of strengthening the company's organizational preparedness as well as laying the groundwork for the development of common sense and coordination against disasters in Türkiye.

Representatives from institutions and organizations such as the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Disaster Affairs Department (AKOM), the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Bahçeşehir and Kocaeli universities, AKUT, and the Disaster Psychology Platform attended the event.

The conference, organized with broad participation from academics, public representatives, private sector leaders and civil society stakeholders, laid the groundwork for multi-stakeholder dialogue to enhance Türkiye's disaster management capacity.

According to the statement, the roadmap to be developed following the conference will not only strengthen Enerjisa Üretim's corporate resilience against disasters, but will also lay the foundation for long-term collaborations with stakeholders, and a sustainable disaster management ecosystem will be built with a common sense approach, regular information sharing, and comprehensive training programs.

Proactive steps against risks, fire and earthquake precautions

At the conference, it was stated that forest fires, one of Türkiye's current disaster agenda items, are a priority, and that Enerjisa Üretim, which plays an active role in combating forest fires in the regions within its impact area, is increasing its local response capacity by providing support to power plant sites and settlements within its impact area.

The company, which directly responds to fires with its construction equipment and provides active support in the field with its volunteer teams, will further strengthen its corporate collaborations in firefighting thanks to the Fire Coordination Center to be established in cooperation with the Muğla Regional Directorate of Forestry in addition to these field applications.

Enerjisa Üretim has undertaken active responsibility in both field and long-term fire prevention efforts by planting approximately 1.5 million saplings since 2020. Furthermore, within the scope of earthquake risk, it has completed its strategic preparations for the uninterrupted sustainability of energy production activities by including the Tufanbeyli and Bandırma power plants in its geographic redundancy plan against a possible Istanbul earthquake.

The company also reached the region within 24-48 hours of the February 6 earthquakes, implementing a multifaceted relief effort with volunteer teams, including search and rescue, logistical support, and hot meal distribution. During this process, it played an active role in many areas, from meeting humanitarian needs to ensuring coordination.

“Our greatest strength against disasters is our culture of solidarity based on trust.”

Enerjisa Production CEO İhsan Erbil Bayçöl, whose comments were included in the statement, emphasized the importance of working together in disaster management, saying, “All the disasters we have experienced in the past and recently have demonstrated that this fight can only be successful through inter-institutional cooperation and joint action. Our greatest strength in the face of disasters is our culture of solidarity based on trust. With this understanding, we held a comprehensive meeting at our Istanbul Ataşehir office. We came together with stakeholders from the public, academia, civil society, and the private sector to evaluate the steps we have taken and to shape the roadmap for the future with shared understanding.”

Bayçöl stated that taking proactive steps against all disaster risks is an integral part of sustainability in energy production, adding:

We are further strengthening our effective field response through our partnerships, volunteer teams, and long-term projects, and together we are building both institutional and societal resilience. We believe that discussing disasters before they occur and taking the necessary precautions is the most critical step. With this approach, we have been leading public awareness campaigns for the last three years and, together with academics and experts, implementing projects aimed at preventing forest fires. In addition to fighting fires to increase forest areas, we are also working on afforestation activities. Every year, we plant saplings 10,000 times our age. This year's target is at least 290,000 saplings; by 2026, our 30th anniversary, we plan to reach 300,000 saplings. We meticulously monitor the growth of each sapling and its transformation into a forest. We aim to increase this number, which currently exceeds 1.5 million, to 3 million, and then to 10 million.

Bayçöl stated that their disaster preparedness is not limited to forest fires alone, and that they also play a critical role in large-scale scenarios such as a possible Istanbul earthquake.

Bayçöl emphasized that ensuring energy continuity against disasters has always been a priority, saying, “In this context, we are evaluating all scenarios for a major earthquake in Istanbul and are keeping our instantaneous transfer capability ready to our Bandırma and Tufanbeyli Energy Bases to ensure the uninterrupted maintenance of our energy production. We are systematizing the experiences we gained from the February 6th earthquakes and jointly considering how we can act more effectively before, during, and after a disaster. We will continue to work with all our stakeholders for a more resilient, more informed, and better prepared future.”

AA