Turkish Energy Minister Announces Long-Term New Energy Framework

 

 

 

Turkish Energy Minister Announces Long-Term New Energy Framework, Centered on Electrification and Targeting 120 GW of Wind and Solar Capacity

 

 

 

During a meeting with local business leaders in the province of Kayseri, Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced that Turkey is actively working to formulate a long-term new energy framework, placing electrification at the very core of this strategy. He noted that as the world enters the era of artificial intelligence, the importance of electricity is becoming increasingly pronounced; consequently, Turkey needs to generate greater volumes of electricity and leverage digital technologies to construct a more efficient energy system.

Minister Bayraktar highlighted the target-set by President Erdoğan-to achieve a combined installed capacity of 120 gigawatts (GW) for wind and solar power by 2035. To realize this objective, Turkey requires an annual addition of approximately 8 GW in installed capacity; however, the country's actual potential for annual expansion could range between 10 GW and 15 GW. Renewable energy constitutes a pivotal component of this overarching strategy.

Concurrently, Minister Bayraktar stated that Turkey has already commenced deep-sea oil exploration activities off the coast of Somalia and will continue to boost its oil and natural gas production both domestically and internationally. He emphasized that, despite the global supply crises currently unfolding, Turkey has successfully avoided falling into such a crisis itself. The nation's ultimate goal, he underscored, is to achieve self-sufficiency in natural gas production-thereby safeguarding its economic and geopolitical interests-and current measures are actively propelling the country toward the realization of this objective.