About Us
SEFiA, is a research oriented environmental NGO based in Ankara, Turkey. SEFiA focuses on energy transition, climate change and low-carbon development discussion from the lens of economics and financial analysis.
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New Report by APLUS Energy and the SEFiA: Increasing Electricity Prices and the Impact of Renewable Energy Sources on the Market
Renewable Energy is the Cure for Inflation A new report by APLUS Energy and the Sustainable Economics and Finance Research Association (SEFiA) reveals that the increase in renewable energy installed capacity results in lower inflation by lowering electricity bills. The report titled “Increasing Electricity Prices and the Impact of Renewable Energy Sources on the Market” evaluates the impacts of solar and wind power plants in Turkey and the incentives given to these investments. According to the report, beyond lowering the inflation by a considerable percentage point, increased renewable capacity would also ease imported fuel costs and carbon emissions. The study aims to analyze electricity prices in the free market –in 2021 and the first half of 2022– if the projects, developed within the scope of YEKDEM (Renewable Energy Resources Support Mechanism) or YEKA (Renewable Energy Resource Areas) were realized, and higher level of unlicensed power plants were installed. In this respect, higher wind and solar energy capacity is assumed compared to today’s levels where total wind and solar capacity was 29.3 GW at the beginning of 2021, and 35.9 GW as of June [...]
Modernisation of The Turkey-EU Customs Union: Building a New Partnership on Past Achievements
This paper argues that CU modernisation, in line with the changing imperatives brought along with the Green Deal, provides a concrete step in preparing the ground for a positive agenda, better collaboration and potentially deeper integration in Turkey-EU relations amid the drastic overhaul of the global economic and political order. Indeed, the EU Green Deal, initiated in 2019 and solidified in 2021, has rendered the basis provided by the initial proposals regarding both CU modernisation and the “Positive Agenda” inadequate and imbalanced. We believe that updating the CU in line with the Green Deal will pave the way for much-needed stability, trust, and a non-binary/positive-sum perspective of interest for improved communication and cooperation. You may read policy note from here.
China’s stillborn coal investment in Turkey
The report "Feasibility of Coal in the Age of Renewable Energy: Hunutlu Thermal Power Plant Case" by WWF Turkey and SEFiA (Sustainable Economy and Financial Research Association) in collaboration with Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe reveals why coal investments no longer bring profits, through the example of the Hunutlu coal-fired thermal power plant that is under construction in Adana, Turkey. According to information from different sources analysed in the report, the capital cost of the plant, which will have an installed capacity of 1320 MW if completed, will be between US$ 1.7 billion and US$ 2.1 billion. The financial participation of the Chinese Shanghai Electric Co, part of the Belt and Road Initiative, was key to making the construction of the new power plant possible. In both cases, the report’s findings show that the projected revenue of the plant will be totally unable to cover its investment costs even after a 30-year long economic life, since coal is increasingly becoming a stranded asset compared with renewable energy for instance. 16 different scenarios were studied with variables related to electricity price and calorific value [...]