The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing Enerjisa Enerji A.Ş. with a loan of up to 100 million dollars to help it recover from two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş in February last year.
According to Dilara Sarı’s report, the project will broaden the availability of reliable and stable energy to the more than 163,000 residents in communities affected by the earthquakes on 6 February. The quakes caused widespread damage and claimed tens of thousands of lives, including those who were living in temporary accommodation.
Enerjisa Enerji is an electricity distribution and retail company in Türkiye and currently serves more than 21 million people, or around a quarter of the country’s population.
As a key private sector player in the Toroslar region, Enerjisa Enerji will work closely with the Regional Recovery and Development Centre, established by the Toroslar regional chambers, which aims to support the strategic planning of human capital, income generation and sustainable economic development initiatives.
In collaboration with the EBRD, these initiatives will include programmes focusing on livelihood generation for the affected communities, training modules on green skills and energy efficiency in agriculture, projects and schemes for workforce preservation, and job placement.
In the weeks that followed the earthquakes, the EBRD announced a comprehensive two-year response package of €1.5 billion. The package includes credit lines to individuals and companies affected by the earthquakes, as well as infrastructure investments and support for small and medium-sized enterprises and private sector partnerships.
Aida Sitdikova, EBRD Director for Energy, Eurasia, Middle East and Africa, welcomed the transaction, saying: “Since the earthquakes, we have been working closely with our clients to move towards recovery and reconstruction in the area. Our partnership with Enerjisa will ensure uninterrupted electricity distribution in the affected cities, and support a stronger and more sustainable reconstruction of the region.”
Philipp Ulbrich, Chief Financial Officer of Enerjisa Enerji, said: “The new loan agreement with the EBRD will be the driving force behind the re-establishment and modernisation of our cities’ electrical infrastructure, which was damaged in the earthquakes in February.
We are aware of our responsibility to our communities, and this loan agreement is part of our commitment to a long-term, sustainable energy future; it will help us to rebuild the electricity infrastructure and will contribute to development in the region.
The EBRD’s support and willingness to cooperate on this project is a positive step for both our company and the local people. In addition to thanking the EBRD, we express our gratitude to our colleagues at Enerjisa, who work hard in the field to provide reliable and sustainable solutions that meet the energy needs of our societies – they play a major role in the success of this project.”
The proceeds of the loan will also allow Enerjisa Enerji to reduce its losses, leading in turn to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 82,000 tonnes per year.
To date, the EBRD has invested more than €19.1 billion in the Turkish economy, largely in the private sector.