Turkey obtained 9.22 percent of its electricity consumption from wind energy in the first half of 2021, Turkish Wind Energy Association (TWEA) Chairperson Ebru Arici told Yeni Shafak.
“We produce nearly 20 percent of the country’s electricity from time to time in daily production, which is a very significant rate,” Arici added.
For Turkey, which has prepared a roadmap for the fight against climate change after the ratification of the Paris Agreement, the transition to renewable energy sources is no longer an alternative, but a necessity.
“The sooner and the more we can bring to our economy this domestic and emission-free resource, for which we do not give money, the more benefits we will create both for our country and for climate targets,” Arici stressed.
She added that Turkey’s onshore wind potential is around 100,000 million watts (MW), of which only 10 percent is being used. There is currently 10,585 MW of wind-installed power in the country.
Energy is produced with 3,868 turbines in 270 power plants and approximately 1,200 MW of power is under construction in 44 of the plants that have been commissioned with partial acceptance, Arici said.
The permit processes of 36 projects with a total power of 764 MW are still in progress, she added.
Arici stressed that for the past five years the green transformation has been on Turkey’s agenda and the country is experiencing the positive results of taking early and fast progress today.
“We see that the renewable energy sector has started to work on ‘green energy use’ with other sectors. Companies from different sectors, from heavy industry to textiles, are now using green energy and certifying that they neutralize carbon emissions. We think that this process will accelerate after we become a party to the Paris Agreement,” Arici underlined.
She also drew attention to the importance of including all sector representatives, especially those that generate intense emissions, in the regulations.
“We also find it very positive that the ‘Climate Change Ministry’ has been added to the Environment and Urbanization Ministry. However, it is extremely important to implement regulations that will pave the way for these sectors to become renewable energy producers,” she said.
Stating that more than 20,000 people are employed in the wind energy sector, she underlined that the domestic wind industry is at a highly developed point.
“More than 70 percent of wind energy equipment production is exported to 45 countries in six continents. According to the WindEurope Report, Turkey ranks 5th in wind energy equipment produced in Europe. Today, thousands of components, from turbine blades to towers, from turbines to generators, from fasteners to gears, can be produced in the domestic industry. Our production capability and domestic technology development skills are quite high. Total exports of 24 companies operating in the wind industry are € 720 million,” Arici concluded.
