Adana Sugözü 1320 MWe Thermal Power Plant

Dear Energy Professional, Dear Colleagues,

On 7th November 2009 Saturday morning, your writer was in Adana Sugözü ISKEN Thermal power plant premises in Energy Group members of Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers. We had the opportunity to listen/ learn/ visualize important technical and commercial presentations of the host company.

Plant is a first coal fired power plant which is built and operated by private sector in Turkey since 2003. It has operated in compliance with international technical standards and the competitiveness of the plant is secured by efficient design and high availability.

Thus, it provides reliable and efficient power to the grid (9 billion kWh electrical energy per year). In addition to supplying reliable, efficient and competitive power to the national grid, environmental protection

- 1320- megawatt (2 X 660) installed capacity with Siemens Steam TG,
- 524.3 kg/s Superheated steam generation at 185 bar/541 C in each of total two Benson type Once through forced flow steam generators,
- Hard coal with high quality as a fuel from South Africa and Columbia under long term purchase agreements (6000 or more kcal per kg LHV)
- USD 1,5 billion foreign direct investment with Contribution to the regional economy
- Reliable and environmental friendly energy program as well as Environmental monitoring and management program

We then passed nearby recultivated fields with new trees planted on. It was an extraordinary application of recultivation on already depleted fields.

Thermal Power plant is owned by German Evonic Steag (51%) and Turkish Oyak group (49%) brand new, clean, fully equipped with sufficient capacity flue gas desulphurization systems, with high capacity flue gas dust collecting electrostatic precipitators.

Under the Turkish Environmental laws and regulations, Turkish Power Plants on the Mediterranean shores are to be cooled with only 1 to 3 degree Celsius seawater temperature increase. We are advised that imported coal firing SUGOZU 1320 -megawatt Thermal Power plant in Yumurtalik meets that environmental condition. They have deep sea return water injection from 4 different points with a temperature increase in a small range of 0.5 degrees Celsius.

We have been advised that there is a new ongoing investment under a different commercial identity for a new 800 – megawatt electricity output capacity while firing imported coal thermal power plant unit next to the existing plant. The new plant is expected to be with higher technology design with latest additions for higher efficiency and availability, an almost close replica of Duisburg Evonik plant.

New plant soil excavation works were witnessed at site. Site construction is expected to start in year 2011 and site construction subcontractor is not selected yet. There is high concern in the local engineering societies for expectation of maximized employment of local engineering and manpower.

We are also told that the company is also planning wind and solar investments in the region for new future. We are pleased to visualize the application and operation of such a big investment on our shores, and wish to have similar state-of-art technologies with high concern over nearby environment, and preferably firing our own local lignite.

Once again we would like to congratulate the Plant Management and the Creditors who put money which made the project realized, and to the engineers/ employees who make the plant to run smoothly, efficiently at maximum availability, efficiency, with high concern over nearby environment.

Your comments are always welcome.
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Haluk Direskeneli, Ankara based Energy Analyst

Bonding With Grandparents

If you've ever turned to your parents or your partner's parents for help and support with child-rearing, you know how wonderful grandparents can be. Although physical distance and parenting differences can come between grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren, encouraging a close relationship can benefit everyone involved.

The Benefits of Bonding With Grandparents

Establishing a bond with grandparents can benefit kids in many ways. Grandparents can be great role models and influences, and they can provide a sense of cultural heritage and family history. Grandparents provide their grandkids with love, have their best interests at heart, and can make them feel safe. Grandparents also encourage a child's healthy development. Overnight trips to Grandma's house, for example, may be less traumatic than sleepovers with peers and can help kids develop independence. Another benefit — grandparents may have lots of time to spend playing and reading to kids. Such dedicated attention only improves a child's developmental and learning skills.

Tips for Staying in Touch

In today's world, though, families may be scattered across the country, and jam-packed school and work schedules may interfere with regular time with grandparents. Despite physical distance or busy schedules, you can encourage your kids to develop a closer bond with their grandparents. Try these tips:

Visit often. If your child's grandparents live nearby, make an effort to carve time out of your busy schedule for regular visits. Encourage grandparents to drop by your home, too. Plan regular trips to see out-of-town grandmas and grandpas. Even if visits are infrequent, anticipating and planning the next trip can help your child regard that time as special.

Stay in touch with technology. Use the telephone and email to talk, write, and send pictures and sound files of your kids to grandparents. If they don't own a computer, send videos of the kids in action. Or have a grandparent record a reading of a favorite story and play it for your child at bedtime.

Say cheese. Post snapshots of grandparents in your home and point them out to your kids often. Or keep family pictures in a special photo album and page through it while naming the family members.

Sound mail call. Kids love receiving mail. So send grandparents a box of stationery and postcards and some stamps and ask them to write regularly. Another way to encourage communication is to have your child write letters every week on the same day — both kids and grandparents will anticipate the regular communication.

Pass it on. Many grandparents have hobbies or special skills — such as knitting, woodworking, or cooking — that they'd love to pass on to their grandchildren. Provide kids with the time and tools needed to learn these skills from their grandparents.

Chart a family tree. Both younger and older kids enjoy learning about their ancestors and relatives. Encourage grandparents to share stories of their families. You can even provide paper and drawing supplies so they can chart the family tree.

Safety Away From Home

Whether grandparents live nearby or you're planning to visit, don't forget to make safety a priority. Grandparents may not be accustomed to having young kids in the house, and the presence of household dangers could mar visits with trips to the emergency room.

Use a household safety checklist and collaborate with the grandparents to childproof the home, ensuring that dangerous items and substances — such as cleaning products, medications, razors, and knives — are out of reach or locked in a cabinet. Consider walking through the home with the grandparents to address any potential safety hazards. They may not realize that small or breakable items pose a choking or safety risk.

Taking these precautions ahead of time can free kids and grandparents to make the most of their special time together.

by: Steven Dowshen, MD, May 2009

Leaders we deserve

Dear Colleagues

Your writer would like to note the following information of educational backgrounds of the leaders of the countries we have relations with.

Former Prime Minister of Greece Mr. Kostas Karamanlis could speak three languages. He had PhD degree. "Kostas Karamanlis, a nephew of former Greek President Constantine Karamanlis, was born in Athens and studied at University of Athens Law School and at the private Deree College, continuing with postgraduate studies in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States, where he gained a master's degree and a doctorate in political sciences, international relations and diplomatic history."

New Greece Prime Minister Mr.George Papandreou, can speak also three languages, Greek, English and Sweden. He has post graduate studies in Harvard USA and in Sweden. "He was educated at schools in Toronto, at Amherst College in Massachusetts, Stockholm University, the London School of Economics and Harvard University. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Amherst and a Μaster's degree in sociology from the LSE. He was a researcher in immigration issues at Stockholm University in 1972-73. He was also a Fellow of the Foreign Relations Centre of Harvard University in 1992-93."

Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – Iranian president, studied civil engineering as an undergrad and mastered in the same subject. Before embarking on his career as a public official, he also earned his PhD. in transportation engineering and became a member of the faculty at Iran’s Science and Technology University.

In Germany Prime Minister Mrs. Angela Merkel has PhD in "Quantum Chemistry". She speaks Russian fluently, and communicates in English in her daily life. "Merkel was educated in Templin and at the University of Leipzig, where she studied physics from 1973 to 1978. Merkel worked and studied at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin-Adlershof from 1978 to 1990. She learned to speak Russian fluently, and earned a statewide prize for her proficiency. After being awarded a doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) for her thesis on quantum chemistry she worked as a researcher"

In France, Prime Minister Mr. Nikolas Sarkozy has Post Graduate degree in Law. He speaks English but tries to avoid public speaking due to his high French accent. "He enrolled at the Université Paris X Nanterre, where he graduated with a Master in Private law, and later with a DEA degree in Business law. "

In England, Prime Minister Mr. Gordon Brown" has PhD in Economics. He speaks French with high tone of English accent. "Brown graduated from Edinburgh with First Class Honours MA in 1972, and stayed on to complete his PhD (which he gained in 1982), titled The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918-29"

In Italy, Mr. Sylvio Berlusconi has degree in Commercial Law. He gives public speeches in English where and when necessary. "He studied law at the Università Statale in Milan, graduating with a thesis on the legal aspects of advertising in 1961"

In Russia, "Putin graduated from the International Law branch of the Law Department of the Leningrad State University in 1975, writing his final thesis on international law" He speaks German as if German is his mother tongue. He takes English speaking training non-stop

Mr. Barrack H. Obama attended Occidental College, transferred in 1981 to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations and graduated with a B.A. in 1983. Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988, graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991. He speaks only English. Obama says “I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!”

In Turkey we had Prime Ministers with Engineering degrees in the past, all of them could speak foreign languages, most of them were fluent in English. On the other hand we have overall national average of 3.9 years in education, 5.1 years for population above 15 years age (as of year 2008 Ref.WorldBank).

Everywhere in the world, Voters choose the politicians with same qualifications as themselves. Masses are governed by the politicians they deserve. We need to have better terms than "One minute" impromptu initiatives. Religious preaching is one way to influence the masses but not sufficient nor best of all in the long term.

Your comments are always welcome.

--
Haluk Direskeneli