image courtesy of Andrew Simes
The ruined remains of the former Belgian operated Electricity Company ‘Societe Generale de Tramways de Transports et d’Electricite a Smyrne’ in Darağaç district of Izmir. The company was established in Brussels in 1909 with the purpose of setting up an electricity network, of selling electricity to the subscribers and of operating electric trams in Izmir. It was only in 1913 that the authorization to supply electricity to the city but it appears a combination of lack of real interest and the intervention of WWI halted developments and the main activity of the Company remained with the tramways, the electricification project only started in the republican period. The foundations for this factory were laid in 1926, the first electricity generation in 1928, 1944 the works passed from the Belgian Company to the Municipality, upgraded for higher capacity a few times and then decommissioned in 1989.
The factory is earnmarked for one of the restoration projects of the Municipality in the future. - archive view during its construction in 1927.
image courtesy of Andrew Simes
image courtesy of Andrew Simes
image courtesy of Andrew Simes
image courtesy of Andrew Simes
According to a report from 1920, “Industry in Smyrna” written by George P. Trakakis, a Banque Nationale de Grece employ, there was no electricity factory in Smyrna pre-1922.
There existed then only a number of small-scale electricity production facilities at various buildings, mainly producing electricity for their own use.
Their locations were:
1. Theatre de Smyrne
2. Club des Chasseurs (Pantazopoulos residence)
3. Cine de Paris
4. Cine Pallas
5. Cafe Fotis Stefanopoulos
6. Hotel Kraemer
7. Banque Nationale de Grece
8. Banque d’Athenes
9. Banque Credit Foncier d’Algerie et de Tunisie
10. Banca di Roma
In addition, there were also 3 other facilities, providing electricity also to nearby houses and shops. These were:
1. Xanthias and Stefanopoulos
2. Vidori printing shop
3. Turkish National Library