Enerjisa Üretim has been recognized as a WBA Winner for Risk Management in the World Business Awards 2022. The World Business Award for Risk Management [RMA] recognizes organizations that have successfully implemented initiatives that demonstrate excellence in risk management.

Enerjisa was founded in 1996 as the fully-owned energy arm of Sabancı Holding (i.e. SAHOL, a Turkish conglomerate) with the primary objective of supplying power to SAHOL’s manufacturing plants. By 2017 the company had grown into one of the largest energy companies in Turkey. After vertical integration and $11 billion of investments, the company delivered electricity to 20 million people downstream, reaching 3.6 GW of annual capacity (4.6% of the total market) upstream. Enerjisa Uretim provides significant contributions to sustainability by utilizing its efficient and environmentally friendly power plants, carbon reduction through renewable energy-based generation and investments, which focus on technology and efficiency. Enerjisa Uretim generates renewable energy with 12 hydroelectric, three wind and two solar power plants. With their efficiency, ability to support flexible working regimes, environmentally friendly designs and experienced staff, the 1583 MW Natural Gas Power Plants located in Bandırma Energy Base contribute to Enerjisa Uretim, serve grid security and are the assurance and supporter of the increase in wind installed power in Turkey.

In August 2017, Enerjisa was divided into two independent companies: Enerji (downstream distribution) and Uretim (upstream power generation). At the time of the demerger, Enerjisa Uretim, with 21 power plants and 3607 MW of installed capacity, faced a myriad of issues ranging from delayed projects, CAPEX overruns, and operational problems in power plants to high debt. The new management of Enerjisa Uretim was keen to transform the company into a success and viewed Technical Risk Management as a pivotal tool. The management wasted no time and quickly set the overall objective: a performance-based and agile process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating technical risks and opportunities.

Energisa Uretim launched three major initiatives to address the issues in Technical Risk Management at the starting point: (1) Process Establishment, (2) Expansion and utilization of the risk universe and (3) Digitalization. The main goal of the asset risk management process is to complete the assessment and treatment of operational risks and opportunities at power plants that might affect operational health and safety, reputation, environment sustainability, and cost objectives. The Enerjisa Uretim, Risk Management Scope, consists of anticipating, understanding and deciding whether to modify or act upon technical risks and opportunities associated with the construction, operation and decommissioning of asset life-cycle activities.

Phase 1: Risk identification in Enerjisa Uretim is a parallel process designed to provide a robust mechanism to spot and diagnose hazards relevant to the power plant. Risk identification consists of and feeds from five major processes moving in parallel. These are divided as internally and externally managed processes. Internally managed processes are those planned and executed by ESA internal functions with the sole purpose of methodic and systematic risk identification. Externally managed processes are those that Enerjisa Uretim functions to participate in but are overseen by external entities not organically part of the operational units of Enerjisa Uretim (e.g. insurance companies, board auditors, lender-appointed experts).

Phase 2: Assessment Risk assessment involves consideration of the causes and sources of risk, their positive and negative consequences, and the likelihood that those consequences can occur. Risk is analyzed by determining consequences and their likelihood and other risk attributes. Factors that affect consequences and likelihood should be identified.

Phase 3: Risk Treatment Risk treatment involves selecting one or more options for modifying risks and implementing those options (ISO, 2009). Four alternatives are defined in the process for the mitigation of an identified risk: (1) Avoid,  (2) Reduce, (3) Transfer, and (4) Retain.

It was apparent that the technical risk management system required high personnel interaction and workload. Hence, in the beginning, various challenges were anticipated and required to be overcome, including resistance to change, IT processes and unfamiliarity with the new digital platform. Once all challenges were identified, Energisa Uretim put a plan which covers raising awareness, hazard analysis and digitalization of the process into place.

Risk Management is an integral part of the culture of power plant operations and decision-making at all levels of the organization. Enerjisa Uretim’s new Technical Risk Management has prevented multiple hazards that might have otherwise turned into major losses for the company. Resource allocation is now much more efficient and transparent. Opportunities that would have otherwise been missed are now a welcome and recognized product of Technical Risk Management. The systematic hazard identification meetings at the plants have resulted in many opportunities that have improved safety, reduced operational costs, and contributed to environmental protection. The total number of risks registered was 1561, the number of completed risk actions was 693 and 868 actions are ongoing and continue to be monitored.