ZORLU ENERJI ELEKTRIK URETIM AS

Their core work

Zorlu Enerji is a major Turkish energy company that operates geothermal power plants and is actively involved in optimizing geothermal energy production — from emission control and carbon capture to improving fluid characterization and plant flexibility. Their H2020 participation focuses on making geothermal energy more competitive through better process understanding, smarter operations, and reduced environmental impact. They also contribute to electric vehicle charging infrastructure, reflecting a broader interest in the energy transition beyond power generation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Zorlu Enerji entered H2020 in 2018 focused on the environmental side of geothermal energy — specifically CO2 emissions control, carbon capture and utilisation, and managing non-condensable gases. By 2019-2020, their focus shifted toward operational optimization: understanding geothermal fluid properties at a fundamental level (geochemistry, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics) and diversifying into electric mobility infrastructure. This evolution suggests a company moving from solving geothermal's environmental challenges toward maximizing plant efficiency and exploring adjacent clean energy markets.

Zorlu Enerji is deepening its geothermal expertise while branching into electrification and transport energy, positioning itself as a multi-vector clean energy operator.

How they like to work

Zorlu Enerji participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with a large industrial company contributing real-world operational assets and domain knowledge rather than managing research. With 78 unique partners across 15 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia. This suggests they are a valued industry partner who brings operational geothermal infrastructure and practical deployment experience to research-heavy teams.

Across 4 projects, Zorlu Enerji has collaborated with 78 unique partners spanning 15 countries — an extensive network for a non-coordinating participant. Their partnerships are heavily European with a likely concentration in geothermal-active countries (Iceland, Italy, Germany) alongside broader clean energy research networks.

What sets them apart

Turkey is one of the world's top geothermal energy producers, and Zorlu Enerji is among its largest geothermal operators — making them a rare bridge between European research and real-world geothermal deployment at scale. Their combination of operational plant access, carbon capture experience from geothermal sources, and deep fluid characterization knowledge is hard to find in a single industrial partner. For any consortium needing a demonstration site or industrial validation partner for geothermal technologies, Zorlu Enerji offers something most European utilities cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GeoSmart
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 602K) — focused on making geothermal plants flexible with ORC, thermal storage, and smart cooling systems.
• GECO
  Addresses a critical niche: capturing and utilizing CO2 and non-condensable gases specifically from geothermal operations, not just fossil fuel plants.
• eCharge4Drivers
  A strategic diversification from geothermal into electric mobility infrastructure, signaling broader clean energy ambitions.