What happened
Türkiye’s Council of State, through its Sixth Chamber, has ruled that the fast-track acquisition of 679 plots is lawful. The plots are spread across six villages around Akbelen Forest in İkizköy, in the Milas district of Muğla.
The acquisition is intended to expand the site of the Yeniköy-Kemerköy coal-fired power plant. Local residents had brought a case challenging the measure.
According to the residents’ account, the chamber had previously suspended the acquisition, saying that the required urgency had not been demonstrated. It subsequently lifted that suspension and reached the opposite conclusion on the legality of the measure.
Why it matters
The ruling enables the acquisition process connected to a Turkish coal-fired power plant expansion to proceed. It directly concerns owners and users of land included in the 679 plots, as well as the six affected villages near Akbelen Forest.
Residents said the change between the court’s earlier suspension and its later ruling was inconsistent. They called for the decision to be reversed and said they would continue their opposition.
Background
Fast-track acquisition is being used for land around Akbelen Forest to make additional space available for the Yeniköy-Kemerköy plant. The legal challenge centred on whether conditions of urgency justified that procedure.
