Turkey’s Tosyalı to green its steel production with 1.2 GW of solar

Turkish steelmaker Tosyalı Holding plans to invest nearly USD 1 billion to install 1.2 GW in solar power capacity for self-consumption in eight provinces as part of efforts to increase renewable energy use. The company signed agreements to build 120 MW in peak capacity in Osmaniye in the country’s south.

Steel producer Tosyalı, which has 235 MW of installed solar capacity for self-consumption across all its sites, is further greening its operations. Speaking at the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Fuat Tosyalı, the board chairman, described the new endeavor as “one of the world’s largest self-consumption solar power plant projects.”

The 1.2 GW solar project is targeted for completion in 2027

The first 120 MW is expected to be operational this year, while the full 1.2 GW in capacity is targeted for completion in 2027, the steelmaker said. The project will utilize N-Type Topcon panels of 725 W, produced locally under the Tosyalı V-Solar Brand, the announcement adds.

The agreements for the first phase were signed with GE Vernova, based in the United States, and Turkish engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor Inogen.

The new project is expected to cover about 50% of Tosyalı’s energy needs from solar power

With the new project, the Turkish steelmaker aims to meet approximately 50% of its energy needs from solar energy, according to Fuat Tosyalı. He stressed that Tosyalı currently emits only around 600 kilograms of CO2 per ton of steel produced, compared with 2.5 tons of CO2 per ton released by other producers.

According to him, steelmakers worldwide churn out some two billion tons of steel annually, with 70% of it produced using coal-based energy.

Established in 1988, Tosyalı Holding is one of the biggest Turkish companies in its branch, operating in Europe and Africa as well. It owned the Željezara Nikšić steel plant in Montenegro until its closure a few years ago.