Turkey authorizes urgent expropriation for thorium mining in Eskişehir

An urgent expropriation decision has been issued for a 2.65 million square meter area in Eskişehir, Turkey, designated for thorium, barite, fluorite, and rare earth element (REE) mining and infrastructure. The decision, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, covers a license area under the management of Eti Maden İşletmeleri.

Physicist Prof. Dr. Saleh Sultansoy noted that Turkey's identified 540,000 tons of thorium resources could theoretically provide energy for approximately 4,000 years. He highlighted that the Eskişehir-Sivrihisar region contains approximately 380,000 tons of thorium reserves. Additionally, the Aksu region in Isparta holds over 20,000 tons of thorium, which Sultansoy stated could potentially meet Turkey's energy needs for 100 years due to its easier processing capabilities.

Sultansoy emphasized that the primary challenge is not the possession of the resource, but the development of the technology required to convert it into energy. He called for detailed studies, the launch of a national R&D program for thorium-fueled accelerator-driven systems, and increased international cooperation to realize Turkey's energy potential.