SEP EMBA Electricity Production: driving BRI-related high-quality energy development

EMBA Electricity Production, a Turkish subsidiary company of State Power Investment Corporation's Shanghai Electric Power, also known as SEP, initiated the Hunutlu Power Plant Project in Turkiye in 2013. Site preparation began in July 2018, and the first batch of concrete was poured for the main factory building in September 2019.

Throughout the project, SEP consistently integrated environmental, safety and corporate governance concepts into every stage, from preliminary design to construction and then to commercial operation. Despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and international geopolitical problems, EMBA promoted the project to high standards and quality.

The two ultrasupercritical coal-fired units, each with a capacity of 660 megawatts, went into operation in June and October 2022, respectively. More than 90 percent of the equipment was supplied by Chinese manufacturers. The power plant generates more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours per year, accounting for approximately 3 percent of Turkiye's annual power generation. In addition, the project incorporates solar utility by making use of rooftops, slopes and empty lands to create a hybrid power station, combining thermal power and renewable energy.

The project's total investment is about $1.6 billion, making it not only the largest direct investment by Chinese companies in Turkiye since the establishment of diplomatic relations, but a flagship project for the connection between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor Initiative. Since its commercial operation, Hunutlu Power Plant has achieved good production performance and has contributed to energy security, earthquake relief, and social responsibility, receiving high praise from the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the local community.

Environment first

To protect marine animal habitats and the marine ecological environment from the beginning, Hunutlu Power Plant optimized its construction plan and took a series of protective measures.

SEP extensively applied the most advanced environmental protection technologies, investing more than $100 million in ecological conservation. Considering the local summer conditions — average relative humidity below 80 percent and average temperatures under 32 C — SEP, after multiple design optimizations with the institute, upgraded the original once-through cooling water system to a "combined flue gas and cooling tower" circulating cooling water system.

Through the innovative application of "combined flue gas and cooling tower" technology, Hunutlu Power Plant became the first overseas power plant of State Power Investment Corporation without a traditional chimney, receiving praise from the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, local environmental organizations and the public.

Hunutlu Power Plant innovatively designed the coal conveyor bridge and access road as a large-span truss bridge, directly crossing the beach areas classified as first- and second-category sea turtle protection zones, ensuring the nest areas of turtles were protected. During the sea turtle nesting season, the power plant used long-wavelength light sources, controlled brightness and scattering, halted on-site construction, and mobilized volunteers to clean up debris on the beach, which helps hatchlings return to the sea.

During the nesting season of 2021, local experts checked the site and discovered a total of 61 sea turtle nests on the beach, which could potentially produce around 3,500 hatchlings, showing that the environment at the project site was well protected. The measures taken by the power plant received praise from experts and were widely reported by mainstream media outlets such as the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, shaping a responsible brand for SEP and EMBA.