When I recently attended a hydrogen event organized by the German Chamber of Commerce (AHK) in Germany, I was, just as I expected, able to obtain important technical and economic information and witness German strategic perspectives. I will cover the technical and economic aspects of hydrogen in detail in future articles. In this article, I will discuss the strategic importance of hydrogen and its significance for Turkey.
I have previously written three articles on hydrogen. As a reminder, I would like to share the links to these articles in chronological order below:
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/iklim-degisikligine-karsi-gizli-kahraman-yesil-hidrojen
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/avrasya-bolgesinde-yesil-hidrojen
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/turkiyede-yesil-hidrojen
Now, let’s discuss why hydrogen is a strategically important energy source and why Turkey must transition to a hydrogen economy as soon as possible.
In my article titled “Green Hydrogen in Turkey,” I wrote, “The fact that natural gas imports come from neighboring countries with which we may encounter problems at any time is a matter of national security. These countries, as we have witnessed many times in the past, can use energy as a weapon, threatening our country and causing serious disruptions in energy supply. To prevent natural gas-exporting countries from threatening our sovereignty, we must meet our energy needs with our own energy resources.”
The Borderlessness of Russian Imperialism
Now, let’s explore this further. The Russians’ war against Ukraine in February last year put all countries in the region, including the European continent, on red alert. In fact, the process began with the annexation of Crimea by Russia on 18 March 2014. This process has continued to this day and continued with the declaration of war on Ukraine. Russia’s centuries-long imperialist perspective, and the fact that we have clashed numerous times throughout history, especially during the Ottoman Empire, is a major factor. Unfortunately, Russia’s status as the world’s largest country by land area doesn’t curb their constant expansionist ambitions. For those who don’t know, Russia’s surface area is 17,125,191 km 2-, or 21-times Turkey’s. Russia could fit 5 countries of India, 26 countries of France, 47 countries of Germany, or 70 countries of England within Russia. We’re talking about a Russia that’s twice the size of Canada and China, the world’s second and third largest countries, respectively, by minor margins. However, this vast territory isn’t enough for Russia’s rulers. They still want to expand. They encroached on the Turkic Republics, the Caucasus, and all surrounding areas, continuing their Russification policies there for decades, establishing autonomous republics to expand their Black Sea coastline, annexing Crimea, and ultimately waging war on Ukraine and occupying its territory.
Assimilation Policies
They are often successful in implementing these imperialist policies. For example, as a result of Russification policies, the Turkic republics forced millions of Russians to migrate to many Turkic republics, especially Kazakhstan. Some Russians were exiled, while others were released from prisons and sent there (with the promise of a free and open life). Consequently, as a result of the large Russian population settling in these regions, recognizing them as their homeland, all of these republics now speak Russian. In fact, Kazakhs in Kazakhstan speak Russian more than their native language, Kazakh.
Russians, seeking to expand their Black Sea coastline, also achieved their ambitions of reaching the Mediterranean thanks to Syria. Russia currently has a base in Latakia and units in many other locations whose locations remain unknown. The Russians, who have successfully assessed the Syrian war, have capitalized on the West’s failed and visionless policies and rushed to Assad’s aid in his most difficult moments. Having promised to purge Syria of a terrorist organization that plagues the world, and having succeeded in doing so, the Russians have in turn significantly strengthened their position in Syria.
The problem isn’t with the Russians, but with the Russian administration…
Let’s turn to our own country. More than 50,000 Russians live in Antalya year-round. With millions of their citizens coming to Turkey for vacation, Russia is one of the two countries that sends the most tourists to our country. Another country is Germany. Some years, Germany and other years, Russia are the top tourist senders to Turkey. However, the first and second places remain constant.
We are grateful to the Russians who come for tourism. Tourism, a sector of peace, is the lifeblood of our economy, and Russians are our guests, whom we want to welcome in the best possible way. I hope this warm relationship continues for many years.
The problem lies in the mindset of those in power in Russia. Russia’s top brass, demonstrating their imperialist approach everywhere, has their sights set on the Mediterranean, as well as the Black Sea coast. This is, in fact, the underlying motivation behind their active involvement in Syria. Furthermore, the most problematic issue for us, in my opinion, is the nuclear power plant planned for Mersin, whose first reactor was recently activated. Who can guarantee that such a nuclear power plant, built and operated by Russia, will not be transformed into a threat to our country by those in power in Russia?
Natural gas as a threat
Of course, there’s also the natural gas dimension. Every corner of Turkey is lined with natural gas pipelines. Our country relies on natural gas for heating, especially in the winter months, and natural gas converted into electricity in natural gas conversion plants is used to meet approximately one-third of Turkey’s electricity needs. In other words, Turkey is reliant on natural gas. We’re dependent on natural gas from Russia. Because of this dependence, the Russians could threaten our national security with threats of “cutting off your gas.”
This situation is very similar to Germany’s. Germans have also adopted a natural gas policy for decades, increasing their purchases of natural gas from Russia and building pipelines. They are currently facing the dilemma of such heavy reliance on natural gas for industry, the backbone of the German economy. They use natural gas extensively not only in industry but also in their homes.
Germans Are Also Searching for a Solution
However, the situation changed after the Ukraine War broke out. Germans, who relied on natural gas from Russia for years, are now seeking ways to transition away from natural gas. Green hydrogen, which is both environmentally friendly and provides baseload (meets energy needs 24 hours a day), has emerged as the most important alternative to natural gas. The same applies to Turkey.
During this period, they are getting by with temporary and ineffective solutions. For example, they buy natural gas from India. India, in turn, buys natural gas from Russia and sells it to the Germans. Germans, seeking to reduce their natural gas purchases from Russia, are reducing their direct purchases but continuing to buy indirectly, increasing the amount they pay. However, the Germans have nevertheless presented their vision and are making serious efforts to achieve it. I believe that in the long run, the Germans will be successful and wean themselves off Russian gas.
Interference in Turkey’s Internal Affairs
Returning to us, the Russians are once again behind the ruling party’s promise of “free natural gas for a year” during the most critical election period. The Kremlin is providing all kinds of support to the ruling party in Turkey to maintain power. Just as they did in the Turkic republics of Central Asia, they are manipulating the situation to favor leaders close to them, and they do not hesitate to interfere in Turkey’s internal affairs. I won’t even get into the accusations of montaged videos and deepfakes against the Russians. They are clearly interfering in our internal affairs.
This is why Ukraine’s victory in the war in Ukraine is crucial. If Ukraine falls, those in power in Russia, driven by a constant desire for expansion and unable to curb their personal ambitions, will set their sights on Turkey, after countries like Moldova, Poland, and Romania, to reach the Mediterranean. This approach has been seen repeatedly throughout history. The events in Kars are the latest example.
For all these reasons, we must stop purchasing natural gas from Russia for our national security. We must immediately switch to hydrogen, which is both ecologically sound (burning hydrogen produces water vapor), makes energy constantly available like natural gas (provides baseload), and is far more economically profitable (we can produce hydrogen and export it to Europe).
Hoping to launch the hydrogen economy as soon as possible…
Tag: social responsibility, lifestyle, businesş world, energy, memoir, ecology
