Energy watchdog EMRA evaluated pre-license applications for wind power plants and submitted them to the Turkish General Directorate of Renewable Energy (YEGM) for technical evaluation, head of EMRA said on November 27, and Anadolu Agency’s Energy Terminal reported.
The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (Teiaş) offered 3 GW of transmission capacity for wind energy production up to 2018 to applicants. EMRA, overseeing the application process, received 1,099 pre-licence applications amounting to 4.2 GW.
Head of EMRA Mustafa Yılmaz said the watchdog approved 1,005 applications and dispatched them to YEGM for technical evaluation. The regulator declined 59 applications while 10 applicants withdrew their applications. “We regard wind power as significant and the attention of the Turkish energy industry to wind power plants makes us happy,” he stated and expressed hope the 20 GW capacity goal from wind power will be reached by 2023.
YEGM will send the approved applications to Teiaş and electricity distribution companies to evaluate the suitability of connection to the electricity grid.
YEGM will send the approved applications to Teiaş and electricity distribution companies to evaluate the suitability of connection to the electricity grid. Turkey’s wind power plant capacity was 8.7 MW in 1998, and by now it reached 3.65 GW. To date EMRA has awarded 250 wind power plant with the licenses for a capacity of 9.9 GW. Geycek, Turkey’s biggest wind power plant, located in the central part of the country, entered service in January. The wind power plant consists of 70 wind turbines with the potential of 384 GWh of electricity a year with an installed capacity of 150 MW.
According to Ernst&Young’s global report from April 13, Turkey has climbed up one step in the attractiveness index for renewable energy investment to the eighteenth spot globally. Turkey is turning into a hotspot for renewable energy investments in mainly hydro, wind and the solar sectors. The country came after Denmark and just before Portugal in the 40-country list, the report shows.
