Türkiye’s state pipeline operator BOTAŞ and a major power supplier Enerjisa on Tuesday rushed to examine and repair damage inflicted on the energy infrastructure after devastating earthquakes hit the country’s southeastern region.
The quakes centered in Kahramanmaraş district affected 10 cities, halted natural gas flows due to damage to transmission lines and disrupted the electricity supply.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez on Monday said the quakes had inflicted severe damage on electricity and natural gas transmission and distribution lines.
The gas supply was halted to Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep and Hatay provinces and some other districts. Officials said the disaster has affected over 13 million people, while BOTAŞ on Tuesday informed the efforts for the restoration were underway "round the clock."
Harsh weather and temperatures have impeded attempts to deliver aid to the affected regions, with efforts to clear the blocked roads underway.
BOTAŞ teams were in the field "under very difficult weather and terrain conditions," the company said, adding that it coordinated with the natural gas distribution companies in the region.
Meanwhile, Dönmez said teams were working on repairing the damaged lines, as he informed that approximately 30 substations belonging to Türkiye's Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAŞ) suffered varying degrees of damage.
Enerjisa Enerji said it started detection and restoration on the Toroslar EDAŞ network, which supplies electricity to multiple provinces, including Adana, Hatay, Osmaniye, Mersin, Gaziantep and Kilis, and suffered power outages after the earthquake.
In a statement, the company said support teams were dispatched to the earthquake zone from the Başkent EDAŞ and Ayedaş with all the necessary tools and generators of various sizes under the disaster plan put into operation. The generators were activated to support the energy needs in the region, the statement added.
It noted that some repair works had been completed, yet some regions were not supplied with power for safety reasons. It added distribution would be ensured in coordination with the relevant public institutions to prevent vital risks caused by deconstruction in search and rescue operations.