Turkey Targeting 5 GW Annual RE Addition

The Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said his government targets to install a minimum of 5 GW of new solar and wind energy capacity annually to achieve the country’s 2053 carbon neutrality target.  

Speaking at the World Bank Energy Transformation Workshop recently, Bayraktar said this volume of renewable energy is needed annually until 2035 as it embarks on a ‘very ambitious’ renewable energy development program. A 5 GW offshore wind target is planned in addition to this.  

Bayraktar added, “A legal regulation regarding floating solar power plants has been passed. We aim to increase the total installed power a little more with floating solar power plants by evaluating the areas on our dams. Here, we will set a more concrete and clear target for the next 10 years.” 

While Bayraktar did not specify the share of solar and wind energy in the 5 GW desired mix at the World Bank event, back in June 2024 he had said Turkey will install 3.5 GW solar energy annually for the next 12 years.   

Nuclear power is also part of its plans as the minister estimates 20 GW capacity for its energy transformation. Coal is not going anywhere though, as Bayraktar called coal an important source of electricity production. The focus, however, will be on reducing carbon density in coal.  

To achieve this, Turkey will also invest in expanding and sprucing up its transmission system to make space on the grid, with a target of close to $10 billion over the next 10 years.  

At the end of 2023, Turkey’s total installed renewable energy capacity exceeded 58 GW with 11.3 GW of solar PV, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).  

However, a February 2024 Ember report pegged the country’s total installed solar PV capacity to a cumulative 12.2 GW till early 2024 comprising hybrid PV projects (see Solar Booming In Turkey Thanks To Hybrid Power Plants).