Abstract
Turkey, for nearly two decades, has been one of the fastest growing power markets in the world. Turkey's total energy consumption, around half is used by the industrial sector, a quarter in residential, and the rest in transportation and commercial. Turkey's domestic energy consumption has more than tripled, reaching a level of 3.2 quadrillion Btu (quads) and coal accounted for 31% of total energy consumption in year 2000. Turkey's coal reserves are 0.6% of the world reserves. Rich lignite deposits are spread all over the country. Total lignite reserves are estimated at 8075 Mtoe, of which 7339 Mtoe (88%) is economically feasible. Lignite extraction is expected to increase as the government feels pressure to close down unprofitable hard coal mines that are geologically difficult, increasing the cost of extraction.