Limak Holding, a conglomerate with close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has received government approval for a major gold mining project in western Turkey that will require the clearing of nearly 20,000 trees and the use of large quantities of hazardous chemicals, Turkish Minute reported, citing the BirGün daily.
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change granted a positive environmental impact assessment (ÇED) to Altınordu Madencilik, a Limak subsidiary chaired by Batuhan Özdemir, the son of Limak owner Nihat Özdemir.
The mine, planned in Balıkesir’s Balya district near the ecologically fragile Kazdağları mountain range, will include open-pit and underground operations, ore-processing facilities, crushing plants, waste-storage areas and concrete units.
The company plans to invest nearly 3.9 billion lira ($92.3 million) in the project, which will cover more than 276 hectares of farmland, meadows and forest within a broader 1,439-hectare license zone.
According to the ÇED report, the mine will use extensive quantities of toxic substances, including 370,000 tons of cyanide per year, as well as sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. Altınordu has already drilled around 500 exploratory boreholes and will now proceed with cutting down nearly 20,000 trees.
Limak’s involvement has drawn renewed scrutiny due to its political connections. The company is frequently listed by the opposition as part of the so-called “gang of five,” a group of large business conglomerates that have secured many of Turkey’s biggest public tenders under the Erdoğan government.
Critics say these companies benefit from favorable treatment in state contracts, offshore profit shifting and public-private partnership models that guarantee corporate earnings at public expense.
Nihat Özdemir has expanded Limak into one of the country’s largest construction and energy groups and has openly supported Erdoğan.
Opposition parties argue that the company’s rapid growth and its ability to secure contentious environmental approvals are closely tied to its alignment with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Environmental groups say the case reflects a broader pattern in Turkey, where authorities have been criticized for approving environmentally destructive mining projects linked to politically connected companies. In Balıkesir alone, officials have issued 429 environmental approval decisions for mining projects in the past decade, prompting repeated protests from local communities.
Critics argue the policies favor commercial interests over natural habitats, forests and water resources. Activists and residents have long warned that forestland is increasingly being opened to mining, threatening biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent on the region’s ecosystems. Environmental organizations continue to urge the government to adopt stronger protections and more sustainable practices.
The Limak approval comes amid a wider surge in mining activity across Balıkesir. ESAN Eczacıbaşı has expanded its Balya operations through 17 separate ÇED approvals since 2015, while CVK Madencilik has revived a gold-copper project affecting 16 villages despite two previous court annulments.
In the Bigadiç district, Zenit Madencilik is seeking to substantially increase gold and silver production, drawing renewed calls for protests from local environmental groups.
