Hilmi Güler
Mehmet Hilmi Güler is a Turkish politician and metallurgical engineer. He was the Energy and Natural Resources Minister of Turkey in 2002–2009. He served as the general director of the Machines and Chemical Industries Board and Etibank. He was a founding member of the currently ruling AKP.
Education
Güler graduated from the Department of Metallurgy at the Middle East Technical University and worked as a project engineer and group chairman at TUSAŞ Aerospace Industries. He went on to an academic career as deputy chairman of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey.Political career
As energy minister, as well as overseeing the day-to-day running of this important department dealing with Turkey's gas and electricity requirements, he has had to deal with a number of issues including:- Privatisation of Turkey's energy sector
- Enquiries into the corruption allegations against the previous government concerning the deal it made to purchase natural gas from Russia, the Blue Stream agreement.
- Negotiating other natural gas purchases with countries including Iran.
- Plans, sponsored by Güler, to build three nuclear power stations in Turkey.
- Continued oil exploration and investment in hydro-electric power.
- A strategy for the mining of boron, of which Turkey is the world's largest producer