The Turkish Wind Energy Congress (TÜREK), Turkey’s largest and most comprehensive wind energy event, organized by the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB), took place in İzmir this year on September 4-5. The second day of the congress was attended by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban, Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Minister Zafer Demircan, AK Party Central Executive Committee member Hamza Dağ, AK Party İzmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı, TÜREB Chairman Dr. İbrahim Erden, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson, and industry representatives.
In his opening speech at the congress, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said, “We are going through a period where all familiar conventions in energy are being disrupted. The pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and regional crises have caused price fluctuations and created an unpredictable market structure. Energy has become a matter of national security for all countries, large and small. We are rapidly moving towards a world where every aspect of life is electrified. Artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and big data applications are triggering paradigm shifts in the electricity sector, necessitating a transformation in transmission and distribution networks. In 2024, over 30,000 TWh of electricity was produced globally. That same year, our country accounted for 1.1 percent of global production with 349 TWh.”
We Aim to Reduce Our Country’s Dependence on Foreign Energy
Minister Bayraktar emphasized the increasing energy needs of every sector, from agriculture and industry to housing and transportation, saying, “Electricity consumption in our country used to peak in the winter months. Now, with the intensive use of air conditioning, new consumption records are being broken in the summer months. Last July was a month of consumption records. Our total electricity production reached 36.7 billion kWh, our highest monthly level to date. On July 29th, maximum daily electricity production peaked at 1,250,178 kWh. Even with the most modest estimates, our demand in 2035 is expected to reach 1,250,178 kWh every year.”We project an average annual increase of 3.5 percent, reaching 510.5 TWh. In the 2035-2055 period, we estimate that the average annual increase will reach 5.2 percent, bringing our total annual consumption to 1,406 TWh. Faced with this increase in demand and the shift in production resources, Turkey needs a new energy architecture. In this context, as we build our new energy architecture, we are working to implement sensitive, flexible, and rational policy sets that prioritize digitalization. On the one hand, we are working to ensure supply security. On the other, we aim to reduce our country’s external energy dependency with the motto of “Fully Independent Turkey in Energy.”
With an Installed Capacity Reaching 14 GW, We Rank 6th in Europe and 12th in the World
TÜREB Chairman İbrahim Erden stated that global energy systems are undergoing a radical transformation, competition in wind and solar is increasing, and technology is rapidly advancing. He said, “As a country, in a relatively short period of time, we have experienced a powerful transition from coal, hydro, and natural gas to wind, solar, and storage. We continue to experience this transition, albeit with its aftershocks. However, it is absolutely of high strategic importance that this transition be carried out intelligently, cost-effectively, and with a focus on technology. Today, with an installed capacity of 14 GW, we rank 6th in Europe and 12th in the world. We have a very strong portfolio, with investment and permitting processes ongoing:”We have 18.5 GW of storage projects, over 2 GW of ongoing YEKA projects, and 600 MW of unlicensed capacity. This demonstrates that as we grow in wind energy, we are also reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources and will continue to do so. The foundation for this potential progress lies in the National Energy Strategy Document and the 2035 Renewable Energy Vision announced by our Minister last year. This vision establishes a target of 120 GW of renewable energy by 2035 and the major infrastructure investment plans to achieve this. The most critical step that will pave the way for continued progress towards this vision is the ‘Super Permit’ regulation, which was completed with great effort. This regulation, enacted after approximately one and a half years of meticulous preparation, has enabled us to reduce the pre-licensing and permitting processes for wind investments, which can take 48-60 months, to under 24 months,” he said.
Energy Solutions for Local Residential Projects Are Not an Option, but a Necessity
WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson: “As someone who has been closely following Turkey’s energy capacity expansion targets since 2013, I clearly see how critical the 2030 and 2035 targets are in the coming years. I believe our wind energy capacity will increase significantly in these years, and the role of domestic production and technology in this transformation is crucial. Developing high-quality and sustainable energy solutions for local residential projects is no longer an option; it has become a necessity. The transition to electric vehicles and the importance of industrial electrification are growing daily. Every investment in this area will yield significant benefits, not only environmentally but also economically.