French engineering group Spie Batignolles TP has pulled out of the $600 million Yusufeli Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant scheme on the Coruh river in northeast Turkey, which has long enraged environmental and human rights groups.
The project is developed by an international joint venture—including Dragados and FCC Construction of Spain, Besix of Belgium and Dogus of Turkey—on behalf of Turkey’s General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI). The consortium was led by Spie.
In March 2002, the British group Amec, which holds a 46 percent share in Spie, withdraw from the consortium planning to construct the dam. Balfour Beatty previously announced that too it will not participate further with the proposed project. French company Alstom remains committed to the scheme, and reportedly so are financiers Barclays and BNP Paribas.
A Spie statement released Friday, December 20, read: "Spie will no longer continue to be a part of the Yusufeli Consortium after December 31, 2002. Spie's decision was taken following a review of its strategic direction and the planned allocation of its resources in the future."
A preliminary report composed by environmentalist group Friends of the Earth asserted that, if built, the Yusufeli Dam would flood 18 towns and villages and displace 15,000 of the region’s inhabitants. Cultural heritage would also be lost, including historic churches and fortresses. The region is also habitat to endangered species, such as the brown bear, wild boar, wolf, jackal and pine marten.
The Yusufeli dam is part of a wider scheme on the Coruh river, including the Artvin dam planned to be built in the project’s second phase. Two other dams, at Borcka and Muratli, form separate projects. The Yusufeli dam is estimated to take 7.8 years to construct and would have a generating capacity of 540 megawatts. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
