“My new passion is borne on the wind”

Muzaffer Akpınar is one of the most important professional executives in Turkey… In June he stepped down as CEO of Turkcell. A short time later he made a rapid entry into the energy sector as an owner with Dost Enerji. Akpınar is focusing on wind roses and renewable energy and, together with his partners, he has started by realizing an investment of 50 million Euro. Akpınar says that they are targeting production of 250 megawatts within five years and dreams of exporting energy to Europe and Turkey’s neighbors.

He is one of the most important professionals in Turkey. The words ‘reputable’ and ‘respected’ are inseparable from his name, For this reason, there was considerable discussion when on 27 June 2006 he stepped down after 4.5 successful years as Turkcell CEO and his departure was even mentioned by newspaper columnists. Nobody was really surprised when, a short time later, he opened a new page in his many-sectored career and appeared in a completely new sector. Muzaffer Akpınar started his business career in textiles before moving into the telecommunications sector and now he has entered the energy sector, not as a professional exceutive this time but as a company owner. Together with Murat Vargı, who is one of the most important businessmen in Turkey and with whom he had worked for many years, and Ruhi Doğusoy, with whom he had worked at Turkcell, Akpınar turned a three year-old dream of producing electricity from the wind into reality. Akpınar founded a company called Dost Enerji and started off with a 50 million Euro investment by buying the German Innores company.

“A person should be really excited about the area on which they have focused,” says Akpınar, adding that at the main reason he is so excited about wind roses and renewable energy is that the field is in its infancy in Turkey. “We thought we could find a niche for ourselves here,” says Akpınar. “We thought that with a medium-sized capital structure and a good organization and management skills we could, with a large number of very small turbines, produce 250 megawatts within five years. I think this is a very realistic vision.”

Dost Enerji Board Chairman Muzaffer Akpınar is our guest this month in the CEO’s Room. He explained what he did after he left Turkcell and his opinion about the new business and the energy sector:

* You left Turkcell at the end of June. Did you have the opportunity to take a vacation after you had left?
I stepped down from all of my operational responsibilities as of 27 June 2006. After I left I didn’t go on vacation. But I had the opportunity to take some long weekends and had one of my most relaxing summers.

* What did you do during this period?
Renewable energy, and particularly wind energy, had been on my radar for three years. I decided to do something concrete about it and at the end of June I tendered my resignation. I was subsequently able to focus on it more intensely. After I had told my friends and acquaintances that I wanted to get involved in this field, to understand this world and see whether there was or was not an opportunity there for us, a number of opportunities and possible partnerships began slowly to appear.

The number of licenses that have been issued to date meant that it had reached a plateau, particularly in wind energy, and the process of granting new licenses has been halted. Those whom we call developers had been measuring the wind for 5-6 years, prepared feasibility reports and chosen the composition and models of the turbines. They had reached this point and were at the stage of looking for genuine investors.

A project came to us, This project had been developed in the Yunt Mountains, 20 kilometers inland from Menemen. At the moment, we are in the process of buying this project and a German company by the name of Innores which owns its license. When the process is finished we shall have complete control of the company and be in a position to continue the project.

Ebru Firat
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