The Turkish government is studying ways to help conserve energy and avoid a shortage and one consideration is a shift in office hours, officials said Monday.
Energy Minister Cumhur Ersumer told a news conference in Ankara that Turkey would face severe energy shortages this winter if the citizens do not abide to the government's energy conservation appeals.
Ersumer said the government's 50 percent penalty charge on electricity for those who consume more than 150 k a month has been effective. Energy consumption last month decreased by five percent, Ersumer said. A decline in natural gas supplies caused frequent power and heating outages and government warned that the situation this year maybe worse. Adding to the problem is the inadequate water levels at the nations dams are threatening to leave Turkey in the dark.
Ersumer said Turkey's energy situation would ease by winter 2002 because of energy projects currently underway. At a leader's summit last week, Turkey's three coalition partners decided to deal with the energy problem immediately by increasing Turkey's electricity imports. Turkish newspapers quoted energy ministry officials saying that Turkey is holding talks with Georgia and Bulgaria to import electricity from those countries. –(Albawaba-MEBG)
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
