The US' Amoco Corporation together with the local Otak plan to construct a $1,000 million gas-fired power plant at Aliaga near Izmir on the Aegean. The project is one of 71 build-operate-transfer (BOT) power projects with a variety of energy sources currently being considered by the Energy Ministry.

Feasibility studies on the scheme have started following preliminary approval from the ministry. According to present plans, Amoco will source financing for the plant, which will have an initial capacity of around 650 MW, with provision for eventual expansion to 1,200 MW.

Should the government be prepared to designate the site as a free trade zone, Amoco may import the gas itself, industry sources say. If not, the venture might seek the participation in the project of state pipeline and gas agency Botas.

However, other industry sources say Botas has already raised objections to further BOT gas-fired stations, because it will be unable to supply their demand. This is despite the fact that Botas plans to increase and diversify gas supplies substantially in order to meet domestic demand projections.

The projects over which Botas has reservations include:

the rehabilitation and expansion of the Ambarli plant near Istanbul to provide 4,500 million kWh a year. The project has been proposed by a venture of Zurich-based ABB Asea Brown Boveri, Germany's Siemens, and the US' AES Corporation and Coastal Corporation an 860-MW plant near Ankara proposed by a venture of ABB with Russia's Gazprom and Turkey's Entes a 650-MW plant in Thrace proposed by the same venture a 650-MW plant proposed by the US' Howard Energy International near Eskisehir.