From wood to coal: The energy economy in Ottoman Anatolia and the Balkans (1750-1914)

Abstract

Focusing on wood fuel and coal, this dissertation examines the evolution of energy economy of the Ottoman Empire between 1750 and 1914. Ottomans depended exclusively on traditional sources of energy before the introduction of fossil fuels. After inconclusive efforts in the eighteenth century, coal became part of the Ottoman energy economy in the 1830s. This dissertation argues that, in line with the slow and late industrialization, energy transition in the country was gradual and limited. The low energy consumption path of the Ottoman economy was partly related to unfavorable conditions regarding natural energy endowments. Forests, distributed unevenly in the country, were not sufficiently rich to support industry. Moreover, coal reserves were mostly of inferior types and suffered from geological drawbacks. As manifested in coal mining and the adoption of steam engines, technological backwardness further hampered energy transition. This study attributes to the state a decisive role in the energy economy. For a long time, the Ottoman government closely supervised fuel production and fuel logistics, especially when the needs of Istanbul and public services were at stake. With the increasing liberalization of the economy in the second half of the nineteenth century, state control over energy eroded. An important part of the Ottoman energy economy was British coal imports which made the country a part of the global energy network. British coal not only met some domestic needs but also turned Istanbul an international coaling station.