Türkiye: Akros Çimento has submitted a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) application for a 2.5Mt/yr cement plant in Burcun Village, Yenişehir district, Bursa. The facility will reportedly produce CEM I, CEM II and CEM IV Type 2 SDC cements. A previous proposal to build a cement plant on the site was cancelled by court order in 2008.
The plant will be built on 466,000m² of forest land, with 71,000m² allocated for the plant. It will use coal and industrial waste as fuel and draw water from underground sources.
Its proximity to Gemlik Port, 30km away, will support exports, with remaining output serving nearby provinces including Bursa, Balıkesir, Yalova, İzmit and Istanbul.
However, Natural Life Conservation Society (DOĞADER) president Murat Demir is protesting the plant’s construction. He said to the Bursa Hakimiyet newspaper “They will most likely receive approval, because it's very easy to get an EIA in Turkey. If the approval decision is made, we will object.”
He added “Bursa has polluted water, polluted air and polluted soil. Laws and regulations are no longer based on protecting nature, but on exploiting it. We will be filing a lawsuit against this because it will create a polluting and destructive pressure on Bursa's natural structure, especially our forests, agricultural lands, and water resources.”
