Turkey to hold auctions for 2 GW in wind power by year-end

Turkey’s government is conducting auctions for projects for the delivery of power from renewable sources alongside measures to help domestic industry and supply chains in the sector. A competition for wind parks with a total capacity of 2 GW will be held by the end of the year through the YEKA mechanism, according to a report.

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources intends to allocate 2 GW of wind energy capacity before the turn of the year, Anadolu reported, without identifying its source. On top of environmental benefits, more power from facilities built at home lowers Turkey’s current account deficit, mostly by substituting gas imports.

The government is strict about its support to solar and wind power as project developers must source a high share of equipment and labor domestically. Auctions through the Renewable Energy Resources Area (YEKA) scheme were launched in 2017. So far it led to contracts for 2 GW of solar and an equal wind power capacity.

The government awarded contracts for 2 GW of solar and 2 GW of wind power capacity through auctions since 2017

The country had 52.14 GW of electricity from renewable sources as of the end of July, the article notes. The auctions for another 2 GW in wind farms would be split between 42 regions, it added.

The government is also preparing a competition for 1 GW in solar power capacity, for which it would receive applications on March 30. It is for 15 units with the capacity of 50 MW or 100 MW in just three districts: Bor, Erzin and Viranşehir.

Minister Fatih Dönmez said earlier that a round for the same technology would be conducted by the end of the year.

A competition for 2 GW in wind parks is planned to be completed by the end of the year, followed by a round for 1 GW in solar

After much delay, auctions for 1 GW in photovoltaics were conducted in April and May. The capacity was split into lots across 74 lots in 36 provinces. It attracted more than 700 bids.

Dönmez said two months ago that the solar projects selected through YEKA would produce 1.7 TWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of 600,000 households in Turkey. The government aims to secure 65% of its energy from domestic and renewable sources by 2023.