Turkish industry seeks to shrink power bills

Turkey wants to cut industrial sector power bills by launching a project to produce energy savings and by using more efficient motors, according to the country's industry and technology minister.

"The energy demands of Turkish industry have more than doubled over the past 17 years, and this rapid rise will continue in the future," Mustafa Varank told an energy summit held in the capital Ankara on Tuesday.

He added that it is important to make improvements in industrial branches with heavy power demands.

Pointing to some 2 million people employed in 315 organized industrial zones in Turkey, he said as industry grows, so too does its demand for energy.

- SAVINGS TARGET
"We want to raise awareness of the efficiency of electric motors in industry with a pilot project," he said, adding that if the project proceeds as planned, companies will boost their competitive edge.

He said that an analysis had found that replacing inefficient engines in Turkish industry would cost some 27 billion Turkish liras ($4.6 billion), but this could produce annual energy savings of 24 billion Turkish liras ($4 billion).

He said 90% of the electric motors used in industry are inefficient.

"These inefficient engines need to be replaced with new, higher-tech, and more efficient engines," he added, saying the government is planing to give some incentives to industrialists for this.

"Let's say the cost of the engines to be used for this conversion is 100 Turkish liras, 60 of which will be given to industrialists as a grant. We hope to start doing this next week."

He also said a study of more stringent control of the efficiency of imported engines has been launched in collaboration with the Trade Ministry.