According to the statement made by GAZBİR, efforts continue towards the repair and improvement of damaged natural gas infrastructure in Kahramanmaraş and providing natural gas supply to undamaged buildings in the aftermath of destructive earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş.
Anadolu Agency's report: Damage assessment studies have been conducted on the approximately 22 thousand kilometers long distribution network in the earthquake zone.
Nearly 2,000 personnel, with the help of around 700 emergency intervention vehicles, have been working on providing gas to buildings deemed suitable for gas resupply. The earthquake, which was felt in 11 provinces, affected 13.5 million citizens, and there were 8 natural gas distribution companies operating in the region. Actions taken in the provinces requiring emergency intervention after the earthquake prevented possible fires, explosions, and gas leaks.
Due to the natural gas distribution network being designed and built according to international standards, damage to the natural gas network in earthquake-affected areas was minimal.
Real-time consumption, pressure, and similar data were monitored at the dispatch control centers of natural gas distribution companies, thus preventing possible natural gas interruptions in the region.
With the implementation of the "gas stop" system, which has been applied throughout Turkey since 2002 according to technical specifications, gas flow was stopped in buildings that collapsed during the earthquake.
"Gas stop" system's successful implementation has led to ongoing efforts to add "gas stop" and similar protective measures to the network in areas where natural gas was supplied before 2002.
Supporting Citizens in the Earthquake Zone
GAZBİR President Yaşar Aslan stated in his evaluation to AA that the area affected by the earthquakes centered in Pazarcık and Elbistan covers an area of approximately 350 thousand square kilometers, which is as large as Germany's surface area. He mentioned that while approximately 13.5 million people were affected in the region, the number of natural gas subscribers was around 2 million.
Aslan pointed out that communication is one of the most important issues in disasters and emergencies. He stated that the call centers of natural gas distribution companies responded to around 50-60 thousand calls weekly in the early days of the earthquake to prevent citizens in the region from being affected.
Stating that the majority of the calls received were requests for gas supply, Aslan said, "If the network and building conditions were suitable, we completed almost all of the requests promptly after completing indoor leak and other safety checks. In addition to all of these, citizens in the earthquake zone were supported by various regulations made by EPDK. The past natural gas bills of consumers whose residences or businesses were destroyed, to be demolished, or heavily and moderately damaged due to the earthquake were erased. Assurance fees were not charged for subscription transactions of 1st level consumers (0-100 thousand cubic meters) proving that they were affected by the earthquake in the 11 provinces under the state of emergency. In Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, and Malatya provinces and in Gaziantep Nurdağı and İslahiye, billing was not carried out for 1st level consumers during the state of emergency. Afterwards, they were provided with the opportunity to pay their past consumption in six interest-free installments."
Decrease in Subscriber Numbers to 1.6 Million
Aslan stated that as a result of the investments made, natural gas is used in a total of 87 settlements in the region.
Emphasizing that natural gas supply is provided to 67 of these settlements via pipeline gas and to the remaining 20 via LNG/CNG method, Arslan said, "Due to the buildings that were destroyed or rendered unusable due to moderate and severe damage and due to migration to neighboring provinces, the number of subscribers in the region decreased by approximately 336 thousand, reaching 1 million 686 thousand. The provinces with the highest decrease in the number of subscribers after the earthquake were Hatay, Malatya, and Kahramanmaraş."
Arslan stated that the total active natural gas user count in the region before the earthquake was around 7.6 million and that this number decreased to 4.3 million in the early days of the earthquake due to partial interruptions.
Arslan pointed out that there are approximately 6 million active natural gas users in the region today, and he used the following expressions: "As a sector, we are making all our new and renovation investments considering Turkey's earthquake zones, disaster maps, and emergency codes. We cooperate with local and international institutions, organizations, and universities, especially on earthquakes, and share experiences. Our technical and administrative negotiations continue with natural gas distribution companies in California, USA, and Japan, which are located in fault zones like Turkey. Inventories determined by natural gas distribution companies for disasters and emergencies are periodically shared with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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