Turkish State Railways to build massive solar power capacity for own consumption

Turkish State Railways (TCDD) is preparing to build a solar power plant of 159.3 MW. One in a group of ten such facilities throughout the country, it would generate electricity for the company’s consumption.

Infrastructure authorities and companies in Turkey are increasingly turning to photovoltaics for decarbonization and the security of energy supply. Among the latest examples, Turkish State Railways or TCDD started work on a solar power project of 159.3 MW in peak capacity, Enerji Günlüğü reported.

The facility would have a grid connection of 118 MW to a 154 kV transmission line. It would be one of the biggest PV plants in the country.

The investment is part of the firm’s plan for ten solar power plants to meet its climate targets.

Turkish State Railways to offset its carbon footprint by deducting its solar power output from its consumption

The site is near the village of Sarıdemir in Sivas district, in the central part of the country. The solar power plant’s output will be deducted from its consumption under a legal mechanism for so-called unlicensed facilities, ones producing electricity for self-consumption.

TCDD’s investment is worth TRY 2.87 billion. The sum buys EUR 69.7 million at the current exchange rate. However, it should be noted that the lira plunged 7.4% in the past month alone. It trades 15.7% lower than one year ago.

Turkish State Railway expects its Sarıdemir system to generate 188 GWh per year

The Sarıdemir location spans 105 hectares. The PV project comprises just over 272,000 monocrystalline panels of 585 W each and 27 inverters of 4.4 MW apiece.

Estimated annual production is 188 GWh, saving 1.22 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to the project. Turkish State Railways expects the system to operate for 25 years.

Sites for PV projects are near electrical substations

In early 2023, the company revealed plans for a solar power plant of 120 MW in peak capacity, consisting of 218,000 photovoltaic panels of the same kind. The location for the facility with a connection of 100 MW has 152 hectares.

It is in the vicinity of the village of  Özer-Fetih in the Boğazlıyan district of Yozgat. The province is in Central Anatolia.

At the time, TCDD planned to obtain 22 lots in total for the ten solar power plants. The sites are near electricity substations and take up 600 hectares altogether.

Soon afterward, the company said it would install a 12 MW photovoltaic system in Kahramanmaraş province. The Narlı TM site in the Pazarcık district spans 16 hectares. Turkish State Railways was planning 26,600 panels, translating to 14.6 MW in peak capacity.

Fortis Energy said last year that it won the state railway company’s tender, becoming a contractor for 10.6 MW in total peak capacity. The project, due to be completed by the end of 2025, is for rooftop solar power plants on 26 train stops on the Istanbul Marmaray line. It connects the city’s European and Asian sides.

Turkey’s General Directorate of Highways (KGM) is also installing solar power plants, as are airport operators. Municipal authorities have been emerging as one of the pillars of the country’s energy transition as well. Dozens of towns and cities have already installed not only rooftop PV facilities but ground-mounted ones as well.