Regulations regarding energy and mining areas will be discussed in the Turkish Grand National Assembly General Assembly.

Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information and Technology Committee and AK Party Bursa Deputy Mustafa Varank answered MPs' questions on the bill.

Varank stated that they are working to prepare regulations to meet the needs of the energy and mining sectors in Türkiye, saying, "If you ask, 'What does this law bring?' first of all, it brings about the acceleration of renewable energy investments. I say this with a sense of shame. If you want to invest in renewable energy in Türkiye, the permitting process takes four to five years. No investor invests with processes that take four to five years. That's why we have provisions here to accelerate these processes."

Varank, stating that there are claims that "while doing these, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has also been accelerated," stated that there is no such provision in the regulation, and that it only includes accelerating the process for the relevant institutions to submit their opinions.

Varank, emphasizing criticism regarding the "transportation of olive trees," said, "We bring in an agricultural engineering professor, and he says, 'Olive trees can be transported,' but our colleagues here say, 'No, they can't.' Are we going to believe the agricultural professor, those who do this work in this sector, but our own whims and fancies? We are the government that increased the number of olives in Türkiye from 100 million to 200 million. We are not enemies of olives."

"WE COULD HAVE DONE THAT WORK IN THAT HALL TOO, BUT THE INTENTION WAS DIFFERENT"

Commission President Varank, recalling that allegations were made that "there was no working environment during the commission discussions on the bill," made the following statement:

At the beginning of the commission meeting, I was physically stopped at the door of the commission hall, and unfortunately, we had to forcibly pull our colleague away. If you're claiming there was no opportunity to work in such an environment, you should first address the colleagues who physically blocked our way. In the commission hall, our fellow MPs were seated in their seats by non-commission members and insisted on refusing to get up. They filled the hall, each of whom was a member of parliament, with three or four of their advisors, demanding registration and video recordings. Then they declared, "There was no opportunity to work here." We could have done that work in that hall, but the intention was different. You did everything in your power to physically disrupt that environment. Therefore, the commission chair is not at fault here. If we're going to talk, I think you should address how wrong it is for a commission chair, a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, to physically block the way of a fellow member of parliament."

DEM Party Deputy Group Chairman Sezai Temelli claimed that "a law was made based on something that the society did not consent to."

CHP Deputy Group Chairman Murat Emir said that they see no public benefit in cutting down olive trees to generate electricity.

"WHAT WILL BE THE COUNTRY'S GAIN?"

Speaking on the bill, New Path Party Ankara Deputy İdris Şahin claimed that the bill's articles were incompatible with the principles of the rule of law and that it weakened environmental rights.

İYİ Party Mersin Deputy Burhanettin Kocamaz argued that the regulation has brought about a radical change in the permitting processes for mining activities in state forests, leading to environmental destruction.

Kocamaz claimed that the bill virtually makes it mandatory for the General Directorate of Forestry to grant free permits to forest areas, and that by transferring these permits to investors, private companies can acquire rights in state forests.

MHP Yozgat Deputy İbrahim Ethem Sedef said the main purpose of the regulation is to ensure that mining activities are carried out in an environmentally friendly, human health-conscious, legally secure, efficient and sustainable manner.

Sedef stated that provisions regarding the rehabilitation of mining areas have been introduced, predictability in permitting processes has been increased, and exploration and operation activities are encouraged to be carried out with more qualified methods.

DEM Party Tunceli Deputy Ayten Kordu claimed that none of the suggestions made by villagers and farmers regarding the bill were taken into consideration.

CHP Denizli Deputy Şeref Arpacı argued that the proposed law "will not be acceptable to anyone," saying, "You are giving away nature, greenery, olives, bees, honey, hives, Muğla's water resources, 26 neighborhoods, villages, people, but most of all, our future. What do you get in return? What is the economic value of this coal? What will the country gain? We couldn't see these in the impact analysis."

"THESE OLIVE TREES WILL NOT BE CUT DOWN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REGULATION, BUT WILL BE MOVED"

AK Party Konya Deputy Mustafa Hakan Özer stated that Turkey has been making significant efforts in recent years to reduce its energy dependency.

Özer stated that 785 billion cubic meters of natural gas was discovered in the Black Sea for the first time with three drilling and two seismic research vessels, and that extraction has begun. He said, "We are extracting 80,000 barrels of oil per day from Gabar. When the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant becomes fully operational, we will be able to meet 10 percent of our electricity needs from here. Furthermore, as a result of investments made in recent years, 60 percent of our country's total installed capacity will consist of renewable energy sources by the end of 2024. Despite all these efforts, Turkey's energy imports were $65.5 billion by the end of 2024. In other words, if we didn't import energy, Turkey would have a foreign trade surplus of the same size."

Özer, pointing to the provision of the bill regarding the relocation of olive groves, continued:

I would like to remind you once again that when we came to power, the number of olive trees in Türkiye was around 100 million, while today we have over 205 million. Furthermore, the number of olive trees mentioned in the coordinates of the proposed article is 0.4 per thousand of the number of olive trees in Muğla and 0.4 per ten-thousand of the number of olive trees in Türkiye. Furthermore, these olive trees will not be cut down in accordance with the regulation, but will be transported. An equivalent area will be established for those that cannot be transported, and the costs of all these works will be covered by those engaged in mining activities. For the rehabilitation of these areas, license holders will be charged twice the license fee, and at least the same number of olive trees will be planted in the area where mining activity has ended, and the area will be converted back into an olive grove.

Özer, a member of the AK Party, noted that approximately 5,000 people were directly employed at the power plants in question, while indirect activities provided jobs for 15,000 people and benefits to 60,000 people, including their families.

The General Assembly began discussing the articles in the first part of the proposal.

THE FIRST 4 ARTICLES WERE ACCEPTED

According to the adopted articles, the provision of the Environmental Law governing environmental impact assessments will be amended, removing the phrase "or a decision that an environmental impact assessment is not required." Until a "positive environmental impact assessment decision" is received, approvals, permits, incentives, construction and usage licenses for projects will not be granted, investment will not be initiated, and tenders will not be held for the project. However, this will not prevent applications for these incentive, approval, permit, or license processes.

The aim of this regulation is to prevent misunderstandings caused by the phrase "EIA Not Required Decision".

Some definitions in the Mining Law are being changed.

The rehabilitation fee is regulated separately by removing the environmental compatibility guarantee included in the license fee definition.

With the amendment, the definition of license fee is changed to "The amount that must be deposited into the General Directorate's accounting unit account by the end of January each year, calculated as shown in the relevant tables by multiplying the base fee with the coefficients determined according to the number of calendar years the license remains in force, the mineral group, type and area sizes; for exploration licenses, 100% of it must be deposited into the General Directorate's budget, and for operating licenses, 30% of it must be deposited into the General Directorate's budget and 70% of it must be deposited into the general budget."

The definitions of "Board", "Rehabilitation", "Rehabilitation fee account" and "Collection office" are also added to the Law.

CHANGES IN PERMIT PERIODS FOR MINING ACTIVITIES

The provision regulating permits for mining activities is being amended.

According to the regulation, the coordinates of the investment areas such as special environmental protection zones, areas protected under the National Parks Law, wetlands, wildlife protection and development areas, forests, culture and tourism protection and development zones declared under the Tourism Encouragement Law, tourism centers, areas that need to be protected under the Coastal Law, 1st degree military prohibited zones, areas with 1/5000 scale zoning plan approved, protected areas within the scope of the Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets, and power plants allocated for non-mining purposes and for which the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs has given its approval, organized industrial zones, industrial zones, oil, natural gas and geothermal pipelines will be reported to the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs by the relevant institutions.

Before issuing a permit in these areas, excluding forests, the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs will consult the relevant institution regarding the project and request permission. The relevant institution will complete its assessment and respond to the permit request within three months. If no response is received within this period, the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs will grant the relevant institution an additional one-month extension. If no decision is communicated by the end of this period, the permit will be deemed granted. The granted permit will remain in effect for the area during the transition to an operating license or for its extension, but the administration will be able to request changes to the project or rehabilitation project.

Permits for the exploration and operation of minerals within state forests, as well as for facilities, roads, energy, water, communications, and infrastructure facilities required for mining activities, will be granted free of charge within three months upon request by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs for a period of 24 months, in accordance with the provisions of the Forestry Law. The permit period will be extended by 12 months upon request by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs.

The commitment note regarding the free permit obtained by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs will be given to the General Directorate of Forestry, but the fees to be collected in case of the operation of the free permit granted, its transfer to real or legal persons or having it operated will be deposited into the special budget account of the General Directorate of Forestry and the paid commitment note will be given to the General Directorate of Forestry within 1 month at the latest.

Permits issued before this regulation comes into force will continue for the duration of the license and will be transferred to the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs within 6 months.

In areas authorized for exploration, operational activities will also be permitted, excluding force majeure and restrictive legal provisions. Documents such as institutional opinions and environmental impact assessment documents, which are required by law for permitting processes, will be obtained by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs. A permit issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will be considered as an affirmative opinion for environmental impact assessment purposes.

Even if the area becomes subject to a permit after the license is issued, mining activities will continue.

After the license is issued, mining operations will continue even if the area becomes subject to permits. However, if cultural heritage is discovered within the licensed area, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's approval will be sought before mining operations can proceed. If the Ministry fails to provide an approval, compensation equal to the investment costs calculated by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs will be paid to the license holder from the budget of the administration in whose favor the restriction decision was issued.

Environmental impact assessments will be conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. Relevant institutions will submit their opinions within three months of the environmental impact assessment. If institutions request additional time, they will be granted a maximum of one month.

The opinion of an institution that completes all its assessments and fails to submit an opinion within this timeframe will be considered positive. Institutions that have issued permits will not be able to issue a negative opinion during the environmental impact assessment process. For mining activities that receive a "Positive Environmental Impact Assessment Decision," the relevant institution will assume any financial obligations and complete all other procedures within one month at the latest.

In cases where Group IV, strategic, or critical minerals are not permitted by the relevant institution, the final decision on the permit will be made by the Board, based on the overriding public interest, based on an application submitted by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, taking into account factors such as the site's reserve potential, location, type, and economic contribution. If the Board decides in favor of mining activity, the relevant institution will submit the permit decision to the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs within one month, and the license will be issued.

"STRATEGIC OR CRITICAL MINES" ARE BEING RE-ORGANIZED

The Mining Law's provision titled "Strategic or Critical Minerals" is being revised. Accordingly, minerals that pose a high supply risk and are essential inputs for industrial production, and that could result in serious economic problems or security vulnerabilities in the event of a supply disruption or significant price increases, will be considered critical minerals.

Minerals that are of high importance to national security and economic prosperity and whose supply may be restricted due to internal or external factors will be considered strategic minerals.

Strategic or critical minerals will be determined by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, after consulting the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Ministry of Trade, and relevant public institutions and organizations.

Urgent expropriation may be carried out for mining activities related to strategic or critical minerals in accordance with the provisions of the Expropriation Law.

The President may decide that strategic or critical minerals be stockpiled by license holders at a certain rate or quantity, provided that it does not exceed 10 percent of the previous year's production amount.

Following the acceptance of the 4th article of the proposal, Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Tekin Bingöl suspended the session.

After the recess, the commission did not take its place, and Bingöl closed the session to meet at 14:00.