Funds of EUR 360 million set for grid operation

Turkey made plans to invest TRY 150 million (EUR 47 million) in research and development along with TRY 1 billion liras (EUR 313 million) for improvements of the grid operating system from 2016 to 2020, head of Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) Mustafa Yılmaz said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the fourth International Istanbul Smart Grid and Cities Congress and Fair in Istanbul, he stated the institution is closely following developments in grid technologies and that it has planned research and development to be carried out by the country’s electricity distribution companies, according to a report by Anadolu Agency’s Energy Terminal.

Yılmaz emphasized, however, investment steps will be taken very carefully so Turkey can avail of real value benefits to the grid system and avoid wasteful usage of technology. He also stated introducing smart grid technologies will benefit consumers by generating more efficient and secure electricity supply.

“Making the grids smart and implementing the necessary regulations according to smart grid technologies are likely to increase costs. However, our target is to support investments in smart grid technologies and related technologies,” Yılmaz concluded.

The introduction of smart grids to Turkey’s energy sector will prevent power cuts through automatic measuring systems by conducting situation analysis and providing grid reliability by controlling overloads and failures, the article said. The grid allows for the introduction of renewable energy resources into the system and offers many benefits to utilities and consumers – mostly seen in improvements in energy efficiency and reliability on the electricity grid and in energy conservation in users’ homes and offices.