The Hunutlu Thermal Power Plant is being constructed in Adana Province, Turkey, on June 3, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

The Hunutlu Thermal Power Plant, the largest China-invested coal-fired power plant in Turkey, is now fully operational after construction started in September 2019. The modern power plant will be managed and operated by Chinese enterprises.

The power project has two units of 660-megawatt power generation equipment. The No.2 unit successfully passed 168 hours of trial operation, marking the complete commercial operation of the power plant, according to a post on Monday by China Energy Engineering Corp (Energy China), the plant's designer.

The Hunutlu power plant, which received direct investment of $1.7 billion from Chinese companies, is a flagship project linking the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with Turkey's "Middle Corridor" vision, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

More than 90 percent of the plant's power generation equipment was manufactured in China. The project was planned, designed and built according to Chinese standards, according to Energy China.

With a capacity of 1,320 megawatts, the coal-fired power plant is able to supply 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Turkey annually, which is about 3 percent of Turkey's annual electricity production.

Apart from power supply, the project is environmentally friendly. Flue gas desulfurization and SCR denitration equipment were used simultaneously, keeping carbon emissions at the power plant below EU emission standards.

The advanced environmental protection system can remove pollutants from wastewater and convert them into recyclable effluent, which can be reused for various purposes, such as agricultural irrigation.

According to Xinhua, tests made in monitoring wells have concluded that there is no environmental pollution in the underground water near the plant, marking China's contribution to Turkey's sustainable development.

The Hunutlu project is located in the Bay of Iskenderun in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, which is a breeding area for endangered green turtles and vulnerable loggerhead turtles.

In order to create a pristine living environment for turtles, Energy China formulated protection measures for living quarters, water management, noise control facilities and other aspects to protect the turtles' spawning area from man-made damage. For example, a coal conveyance trestle across the turtle protection area was built. Strong lighting was prohibited at night during construction.

Every quarter, volunteers cleaned up garbage on the beach to clear obstacles for turtles to breed and return to the sea, Energy China added.

Local volunteers pick up trash on the beach in the Bay of Iskenderun, Turkey, where locates the Hunutlu Thermal Power Plant. Photo: Energy China