For German, please click: Rönesans Holding will führender Anbieter nachhaltiger Bauleistungen in der Türkei werden
Our Aim is to Be a Pioneer in Sustainable Contracting Services in Türkiye
Rönesans, representing Türkiye’s contracting industry in some of the world’s most challenging markets, has transformed Ballast Nedam, a 150-year-old construction company it acquired in 2015, restoring the company to prominence. By the end of 2024, Ballast Nedam had built a project portfolio worth approximately EUR 33 billion and contributed 40% of Rönesans’s total turnover.Rönesans Holding, through its acquisition of Ballast Nedam in 2015, has taken significant strides towards a sustainable world, primarily in the Netherlands and throughout Europe.
Standout Ballast Nedam projects under Rönesans include protecting the Netherlands from flooding, meeting the country’s annual need for 100,000 homes with high-rise, high-quality, and cost-effective solutions, and building land-based wind turbines on water.
Recently, Ballast Nedam, part of Rönesans group, completed the sustainable renovation of the Johan Cruijff Arena, one of Europe’s most iconic stadiums. The company is now preparing to expand the European Investment Bank’s headquarters in Luxembourg, further strengthening connectivity within Europe’s financial sector.
Ballast Nedam Became Profitable Within Three Years
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp, Chair of the Board of Directors of Rönesans Holding, explains that Rönesans, operating in over 30 countries, has long aimed to be one of the world’s largest and most sustainable contractors, with its vision for European expansion dating back many years. Ilıcak Kayaalp comments: “We operate in over 30 countries around the world. We have multinational partnerships in EPC, as well as the petrochemicals, thermal power, and energy industries. Ballast Nedam is a very old construction company, with roots going back to the 1570s, and it was also one of the largest construction firms in the Netherlands.When we acquired it, the company was in financial difficulty. We did not alter the company’s core operations; instead, we brought in senior management from our other countries and subsidiaries, all of which were already aligned with the Rönesans culture. We maintained the existing team, restructured the organisation, and successfully made it profitable within three years.
2024 was a year in which Ballast Nedam stood out, both for its sustainability approach and strong financial performance. With EUR 1.2 billion in revenue, Ballast Nedam currently accounts for approximately 40% of Rönesans Holding’s annual turnover.”
We Will Increase Our Investment in Türkiye to EUR 12 Billion Within Five Years
Ilıcak Kayaalp stated, “As a Turkish company, we take pride in flying the Turkish flag in some of the world’s most challenging geographies. She continued: “We are investing in sustainability as a central pillar of our future strategy. In Türkiye alone, our investments in this area have reached EUR 40 billion. Our focus spans a wide range of sectors, including energy, renewable energy, hospital infrastructure, petrochemicals, industry, and general infrastructure.”Our international operations are balanced in scale across all regions. We are active in Asia and Europe and, we aim to expand further in Europe. We also plan to grow in Türkiye. We have numerous projects in energy, particularly in wind and solar power, as well as in hospital infrastructure, petrochemicals, industry, and general infrastructure. Over the next five years, we will increase our investment to EUR 12 billion in Türkiye. Of this, EUR 5 billion will be allocated to hospital projects, with the remainder directed towards other sectors. The total value of our investments in Türkiye has reached EUR 40 billion.
Ceyhan PP Project Will Reduce Türkiye’s External Dependence
The USD 2 billion polypropylene (PP) production facility to be built in Ceyhan will help reduce Türkiye’s dependence on imports in the petrochemical sector. The Ceyhan Polypropylene Production Facility will also make a significant contribution to the Turkish economy. With its technological capacity and production strength, the facility is expected to meet domestic demand and export to regional markets, providing a direct annual contribution of USD 300 million. Ballast Nedam is responsible for the project’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC).
New Opportunities Have Emerged in the Middle East and Africa
Rönesans Holding is extending its strategic growth targets to the Middle East and Africa, planning new investments in these regions, with a focus on sustainability and profitable growth. Company officials noted that Rönesans has previously operated in these regions and now aims to seize more opportunities and achieve further growth during this new period.
Sustainability Vision Strengthened by Global Partnerships
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp, Chair of the Board of Directors of Rönesans Holding, summarises Rönesans’ approach to sustainability as follows: “We are focused not only on quality but also on delivering environmentally conscious, transformative projects that generate social benefit.” Highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis, she continues: “It poses a serious threat to the world. We are working to become a solution partner at every level by collaborating with international partners, funds, global and local financial institutions, and in alignment with global regulations.”She adds: “In Europe, our clients demonstrate a highly advanced understanding of sustainability, and we match this with a client-focused approach. Ballast Nedam's projects are fully aligned with the core sustainability objectives of Rönesans Holding’s Board of Directors, executive teams, and project units. Our ability to rapidly track sustainability developments in Europe and scale them across our other subsidiaries gives us a strategic advantage. As a global player, we are subject to rigorous sustainability audits mandated by financiers for various clients and projects, and we are fully committed to meeting these requirements.” To meet these evolving requirements, we integrate the necessary sustainability standards into every project and replicate them across our wider operations. This approach allows us to not only fulfil our partners' expectations but also to embed our sustainability vision and strategy throughout the organization.
Today, no country is exempt from strict environmental regulations. The European Green Deal has been in effect since 2008, and since 2016, lenders have been enforcing increasingly stringent sustainability criteria. As a result, every institution must develop and implement a comprehensive sustainability strategy.
Investor expectations in this area continue to rise. Speaking as an investor, I can confidently say that sustainability is no longer optional, it is a critical priority not just for us, but for companies across all sectors.”
Ballast Nedam, which is transforming the construction, contracting and real estate sectors with a focus on sustainability, aims to strengthen its international presence by expanding operations across Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia under Rönesans Holding. The company focuses on innovative solutions to enhance economic development, mobility and accessibility. We spoke to Ballast Nedam CEO Kemal Sağlam about these efforts:
Modular Construction Increases Speed and Reduces Carbon Emissions
Modular construction enables us to complete projects up to 50% faster and with lower carbon emissions compared to traditional methods, significantly reducing time spent on site. In addition, unlike traditional construction methods, modular construction generates only around seven-tenths of the waste. We have doubled our modular construction capacity in just two years. At Rönesans, we are offering faster, more sustainable and more cost-effective solutions to meet the Netherlands’ annual housing requirement of 100,000 units through modular building. Our Waldorp Four project in The Hague stands out with its impressive 70-metre height and 1,171 residential units, delivering not only the largest modular housing project in the Netherlands but also one of the largest in Europe.”
Land-Based Wind Turbines Built Over Water
“Located on the shores of Lake IJsselmeer, Windplanblauw is a highly environmentally conscious project, distinguished by its innovative construction of land-based wind turbines over water. We created artificial islets and installed turbines, typically built on land, onto these islets. This provided a more cost-effective solution compared to offshore turbines. Completed in 3.5 years, the project is situated within the Natura 2000 protected area. All construction activities were planned around specific time windows, accounting for bird migration routes and the breeding cycles of waterfowl. Resting corridors of 300 meters were left between the turbines to accommodate bird movements. At the same time, artificial reef structures were installed around the turbine foundations to support marine life.”
Immersed Tunnel Technology
Ballast Nedam has constructed many of the 40-plus tunnels in the Netherlands. The Maasdeltatunnel, an immersed tunnel under the Scheur River, comprises two tunnel segments measuring between 185 and 205 metres in length, 40 metres in width, and 7 metres in height. The segments were connected at a depth of 30 metres, an unprecedented feat, as tunnels of this scale had never been constructed or immersed before. We aim to replicate similar projects globally.”
A New Construction Paradigm from Ballast Nedam: Fast, Smart and Green. Not Carbon Neutral, but Carbon Positive
We aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. To achieve this, we are placing sustainability at the core of our business strategy and company culture. Today, we use electric construction machinery in many of our projects in the Netherlands, and more than half of our fleet is now electric.”Source: Didem Eryar Ünlü / Ekonomim