Renewables had 99.5% share in new capacity in 2023 in Turkey

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar called 2023 “the year of renewables” in Turkey as they accounted for 99.5% of added electricity generation capacity. The government aims to increase their share to 65% by 2035, from the current 56%.

Turkey increased its renewable electricity capacity by 2,845 MW last year. Out of 59.2 GW in total, just under 32 GW was hydropower, compared to 11.8 GW from wind and 11.3 GW in photovoltaics, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said. Geothermal power plants accounted for almost 1.7 GW and the bioenergy segment was 2.5 GW.

Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said total added capacity came in at 2,858 MW, meaning that 99.5% was from renewable sources. He called 2023 “the year of renewables.”

Renewables had 42% share in electricity output in 2023

Power plants in Turkey generated 326.3 TW last year. “The share of renewable sources in production was 42%. On the other hand, their share in installed power was 56%. Our target is to increase the share of renewables in installed power to 65% by 2035 and increase their share in production to 55%,” Bayraktar underscored.

The share of renewables in electricity production on January 18 came in at 54.9%, just under the level projected for 2035

In 2002, renewable electricity capacity was 12.3 GW, which was 39%, the ministry noted. Interestingly, the share of renewables in electricity output on January 18 made up 54.9% of the total, Enerji Günlüğü reported.

Hundreds of prelicensed projects for solar, wind power plants with batteries

In other news from Turkey, Akfen Renewable Energy (Akfen Yenilenebilir Enerji) said the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change approved the environmental impact assessment study for its Gelinkaya project. It is the first such license in the country for a solar power plant with storage, the company pointed out.

The location spans 44.9 hectares. The photovoltaics segment is envisaged at 35.8 MW in nameplate capacity and a 30 MW grid connection. The battery system will have 30 MW in operating power and 60 MWh in capacity, which means it can work at full scope for up to two hours.

Akfen has 699 MW installed, of which 121.4 MW is solar power, according to its website.

The Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA or EPDK) gave priority late in 2022 to hybrid power plant projects that include a matching storage facility in terms of operating power. Just before the end of last year, it said it prelicensed 439 projects for 25.6 GW proposed to be installed alongside solar and wind facilities.

Their combined value is estimated at USD 35 billion. Moreover, the government is preparing to introduce a 30% import tax for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells, modules and entire facilities.