ESB International (ESBI), which is formerly known as the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland and operates in the areas of consultancy, production, distribution and maintenance of electricity power plants, has made its first move into the Turkish market by investing 30 million euros in an electricity power plant in partnership with the Turkish UNIT Group.
The company announced on Wednesday that the joint venture, called UNES, was established by the two companies with a 50-50 partnership and it will manage the plant, which has the capacity to produce 3 percent of the electricity needed by the country. UNES will be responsible for the management and maintenance of the natural gas-run plant in Gebze, south of İstanbul, for five years.
Commenting to Today’s Zaman regarding the investment at a press meeting in İstanbul, the manager responsible for Turkey and CIS operations of ESBI, Hakan Karaalioğlu, said that the company, which operates in 115 different countries, sees a huge growth potential in Turkey’s energy sector and ESBI has a lot to offer to support the sector. Adding that company’s interest in Turkey is not limited to one project, Karaalioğlu concluded, “We have also submitted proposals for five different tenders in the electricity sector.”
Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland Eamon Gilmore, who was also present at the meeting, underlined in his speech that the energy sector is a significant area in which Irish companies can cooperate with their Turkish peers. “The agreement of ESBI and UNIT marks the beginning of journey for ESBI in the Turkish market, which opened its Turkey office last year. Irish companies are very experienced in the production of renewable energy and traditional electricity production and keen to work with Turkish companies in the area. I am certain this agreement will be the beginning of many successful partnerships in the future.”
Source Zaman.
