Türkiye plans to expand its combined solar and wind capacity to 175 GW by 2040 under its National Energy 2040 Launch
The country targets 140 GWh of energy storage capacity to support renewable energy integration and add flexibility
Renewables are expected to account for 77% of Türkiye’s electricity mix by 2040 under the roadmap
Ahead of COP31, the host country Türkiye has unveiled its 2040 energy vision, placing renewable energy at the forefront of its long-term strategy. The country aims to increase solar PV capacity from 26 GW to 112 GW, and wind power capacity from 15 GW to 63 GW.
Both solar and wind expansion will need $100 billion in investment. Together, both these renewable energy sources will account for 175 GW of the country’s total installed capacity, a fourfold increase from 41 GW at present.
To support renewable growth, the country will also target flexibility through storage, with a target of 140 GWh by 2040, said Alparslan Bayraktar, Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
These targets form part of Türkiye’s broader ambition to raise the country’s total installed electricity capacity from 123 GW at the end of 2025 to 281 GW by 2040, an addition of nearly 160 GW. Reaching these targets will require an investment of approximately $190 billion.
Renewables are expected to account for 77% of the country’s total electricity mix, up from 63% in 2025, supported by widespread electrification, which is projected to reach 36%.
Under the National Energy 2040 Launch, the country’s electricity demand is projected to rise from 365 TWh in 2025 to 680 TWh in 2040. Electric vehicles are expected to account for 90 TWh of the projected demand. Türkiye expects electricity demand to rise with the growing adoption of electric vehicles, data centers, green hydrogen production, heat pumps, and water treatment facilities.
Announcing Türkiye’s National Energy 2040, Bayraktar said the country will achieve the 281 GW target through annual tenders for at least 2 GW of renewable energy sources, 6 GW of offshore wind power plants, international projects, capacity increases, and renovations, addition of hybrid capacities to existing power plants, and capacity allocations of up to 1 MW.
“In wars, energy infrastructures become the primary targets. Distributing production also has a strategic significance. We aim to establish smaller power plants under one megawatt more intensively,” said Bayraktar.
Türkiye will nevertheless continue to invest in oil and natural gas while expanding its nuclear power program. It aims to meet 11% of its total electricity demand through nuclear energy, targeting 10 GW by 2040.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced the results of Renewable Energy Resources Areas (YEKA) 2026 tenders, or YEKA GES-2026, for solar power plants. The winning projects secured 785 MW of grid connection capacity across 11 sites in Denizli, Ankara, Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Batman, and Elazığ.
Winners can sell electricity in the open market for 60 months after signing their contracts. Later, they can supply electricity to the grid for 20 years at a tariff of €0.0325/kWh.
According to the ministry, it has allocated 2,285 MW of solar and wind power capacity across 18 sites under YEKA RES-2026 tenders, which will bring in $1.9 billion in new investments and produce 6.1 billion kWh of clean electricity annually. This capacity will also prevent the import of approximately 1.22 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.