166 O. BAYULGEN
Legacy of State-Led Developmentalism
One explanation for the focus on traditional forms of energy can be found
in the historical legacy of state interventionism in Turkey that permeates decision-making and makes centralized, state-centric, mega energy
projects with little regard for environmental and social costs routine and
acceptable. With a long tradition of a highly centralized bureaucracy,
Turkish governments have always had the aim of achieving economic
development at any cost and as a key indicator of societal progress since
the foundation of the Republic in 1923. 45 Rapid economic growth under
the tutelage of the state came to dominate Turkish politics and became
deeply embedded in the psyche of Turkish people in and outside of
the state. Except for a few attempts at decentralization since the 1980s,
the strong, paternalistic state tradition in the name of catching up with
the advanced industrial nations, achieving capitalist development, and
transforming society from above has reigned supreme and unchallenged.
Perhaps no other sector embodies the principles of developmentalism
better than the energy sector in Turkey. Regardless of the political orientation of top officials, Turkish governments have historically equated energy
with national progress and civilization and most, if not all, energy policies
have been underwritten by an economic development imperative. Even
though starting in the 1980s, the energy sector became more privatized,
the state has kept its central role and dictated the terms of energy development projects. With the exception of nuclear power, projects that require
relatively little technical expertise, abundant capital and land that the state
has access to, and that can generate large-scale, low-skilled employment
have typically been seen as the solution to country’s energy challenges. 46
Along these lines, coal extraction and coal-fueled thermal plants have
always been an attractive tool for the Turkish governments to fuel the
desired economic growth. Turkey has low-quality but sizeable domestic
coal reserves, the technology that is needed for these thermal plants
is relatively cheap, coal mines provide huge employment, and coal is
affordable for large segments of the population. In the first five-year
industry plans of the new Turkish Republic, coal was seen as the most
reliable natural resource and the government strategy on energy was
mainly constructed around the expansion of coal production in nationalized mining facilities. 47 The AKP’s goal of quadrupling coal-fueled power
plants by 2020 despite recent coal mining accidents and the increasing
reliance on coal imports is illustrative of the continuation of the centrality
Legacy of State-Led Developmentalism
One explanation for the focus on traditional forms of energy can be found
in the historical legacy of state interventionism in Turkey that permeates decision-making and makes centralized, state-centric, mega energy
projects with little regard for environmental and social costs routine and
acceptable. With a long tradition of a highly centralized bureaucracy,
Turkish governments have always had the aim of achieving economic
development at any cost and as a key indicator of societal progress since
the foundation of the Republic in 1923. 45 Rapid economic growth under
the tutelage of the state came to dominate Turkish politics and became
deeply embedded in the psyche of Turkish people in and outside of
the state. Except for a few attempts at decentralization since the 1980s,
the strong, paternalistic state tradition in the name of catching up with
the advanced industrial nations, achieving capitalist development, and
transforming society from above has reigned supreme and unchallenged.
Perhaps no other sector embodies the principles of developmentalism
better than the energy sector in Turkey. Regardless of the political orientation of top officials, Turkish governments have historically equated energy
with national progress and civilization and most, if not all, energy policies
have been underwritten by an economic development imperative. Even
though starting in the 1980s, the energy sector became more privatized,
the state has kept its central role and dictated the terms of energy development projects. With the exception of nuclear power, projects that require
relatively little technical expertise, abundant capital and land that the state
has access to, and that can generate large-scale, low-skilled employment
have typically been seen as the solution to country’s energy challenges. 46
Along these lines, coal extraction and coal-fueled thermal plants have
always been an attractive tool for the Turkish governments to fuel the
desired economic growth. Turkey has low-quality but sizeable domestic
coal reserves, the technology that is needed for these thermal plants
is relatively cheap, coal mines provide huge employment, and coal is
affordable for large segments of the population. In the first five-year
industry plans of the new Turkish Republic, coal was seen as the most
reliable natural resource and the government strategy on energy was
mainly constructed around the expansion of coal production in nationalized mining facilities. 47 The AKP’s goal of quadrupling coal-fueled power
plants by 2020 despite recent coal mining accidents and the increasing
reliance on coal imports is illustrative of the continuation of the centrality