The local Suzer Holding and the US' Pacificorp signed an agreement on 19 January on the joint operation of two thermal power plants.

The two firms have agreed to set up two Turkish-based companies to run the 210-MW Orhaneli plant and the 1,050-MW twin Soma plant in the west of the country. Both plants are coal-fired.

The two partners are now finalising a deal with the Energy & Mineral Resources to operate the two plants for a 20-year period. They have bid $90 million for the Orhaneli plant and $255 million for Soma (MEED 31:10:97).

Suzer won a $360 million contract earlier this month to operate the Izmir- Manisa regional grid for 30 years (MEED 16:1:98). The company is also holding talks with Pacificorp about forming a joint venture on this project.

The agreement was signed during a trade mission led by US Commerce Secretary William Daley. Pacificorp was among several US companies on the mission, including Allied Signal Power Systems, Bechtel, Enron Corporation, Harza Engineering and Raytheon Corporation.