Turkey to launch solar tenders for 1 GW within two months – energy minister

Turkey will launch 74 tendering procedures under the Renewable Energy Resource Zones (YEKA) scheme in the next two months.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez said investors would compete to install solar power plants with 1 GW in total capacity in 36 regions of Turkey.

The tender for 1 GW was postponed several times. It was first planned for January 2019.

The idea is to include small and medium enterprises in solar investments

According to Dönmez, the tenders are important to expand investment in solar energy throughout the country.

The idea is to change the investor profile by including small and medium enterprises, he said during the First Turkish Solar Energy Industry Association (GENSED) Solar Energy Summit.

Turkey’s solar capacity has reached 6.6 GW

Turkey has increased its installed capacity in solar from 40 MW in 2014 to 6.6 GW. Solar accounts for 7% of total installed capacity and for 4% of electricity production, according to the ministry’s website.