After completing his Bachelor’s in Geological Engineering at Hacettepe University, Tolgay Benderli finished his Master’s in Business Administration at the London College of Management. He began his work in geothermal energy in 1998 with the Ağrı Diyadin Geothermal Integrated Investment Project, the first integrated investment project in the field of geothermal energy in Turkey. This investment included the first liquefied carbon dioxide and dry ice production from geothermal energy in Turkey, greenhouse heating, thermal hotel management, and a district heating system using geothermal energy. Completing his education in geothermal energy during the same period, he transitioned into geothermal engineering.
He has numerous works in geothermal engineering and project/investment management related to exploration, research, surveys, and underground studies like soundings in the geothermal energy field. His expertise also covers electricity production from geothermal energy, designing district heating and cooling systems, turnkey investments, greenhouse cultivation with geothermal heating, lithium and mineral procurement from geothermal energy, and pre-insulated pipes primarily used in regional heating systems. Tolgay Benderli played important roles in creating legislation for the Electricity Market Law, Law on Usage of Renewable Energy Resources for the Purpose of Generating Electricity, Law on Energy Efficiency, Law on Geothermal Resources and Natural Mineral Waters, necessary for geothermal energy power plants with an approximate capacity of 1,800 MWe, geothermal regional heating systems equivalent to 250,000 residences, and greenhouse cultivation for fields above 200,000 decares.
He collaborated with The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey on the master plan and feasibility works of the Soma Regional Heating System, the first regional heating system in Turkey using excess energy from thermal power plants, and ensured that this system was commissioned turnkey. He currently plays an active role in the works for the Law on Heating Market of Turkey in association with the Ministry of Energy and the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA).
He has worked on numerous new investment projects and commissioned turnkey investments in district heating/cooling systems and geothermal, solar, biogas, and other renewable energies primarily in Turkey, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Tunisia, Kuwait, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. Since 2020, Tolgay Benderli has been working as the CEO of the Doğan Geothermal Companies Group, the first and largest geothermal energy and regional heating and cooling company in Turkey, Hattuşa Vacation Thermal Club, the largest thermal hotels chain, and Yalçın Boru, the company with the largest pre-insulated pipe and fitting production capacity in its region with production facilities in different countries. He is the Vice President of the Foundation of Geothermal Energy of Turkey and the Vice President of the Thermal Health Tourism Association, while also being a member of the Romanian Turkish Businessmen Association, Bulgarian Turkish Businessmen Association, and Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association.
