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Türkiye will continue investing across all areas of the energy sector to secure sustainable, reliable and affordable power, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Thursday.
The country’s electricity consumption has tripled in the last two decades and is expected to increase even faster in the coming years due to the long-term energy transformation, which involves replacing fossil fuel energy with electricity.
“By the early 2050s, our electricity demand will have tripled. When we factor in emerging drivers such as artificial intelligence, data centers, cooling systems and electric vehicles, Türkiye’s electricity demand will exceed even three times today’s levels,” Bayraktar said, according to a Turkish transcript of his speech.
“Therefore, we are focusing on electricity, but we must also ask: How will we obtain this electricity in a sustainable, reliable, and of course, cost-effective way?” he told a session on the sidelines of the 14th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.
“After all, everyone wants access to affordable energy.”
Big renewable potential
Türkiye has limited oil and natural gas resources and suffers from a high current account deficit due to vast energy imports. It has been incentivizing investments in renewable power plants and has sought to develop domestic resources and expand international partnerships in oil and gas exploration.
Bayraktar emphasized the need to develop an inclusive, flexible and balanced energy system and strategy to achieve sustainable and cost-effective energy.
“That’s why you see Türkiye making major investments and announcing policies in the field of renewable energy. We have a big potential in solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy,” he said.
Türkiye aims to quadruple its solar and wind capacity to at least 120 gigawatts by 2035 while fully utilizing its renewable resources and investing heavily in nuclear power generation, he added.
It currently has around 36 GW of installed wind and solar capacity. To achieve the 2035 goal, the government plans to hold capacity allocation tenders of 2 GW each year.
Nuclear power goal
Türkiye is also making major investments in nuclear power and plans to build three conventional plants. The first one, Akkuyu, is being built by the Russian conglomerate Rosatom in the southern province of Mersin.
“Türkiye, in cooperation with its Russian partners, is constructing four reactors at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant,” Bayraktar said. “We are going to have 20 gigawatts of nuclear power generation by the year 2050.”
The $20 billion, 4.8 GW Akkuyu will bring Türkiye into the small club of nations with civil nuclear energy. Once fully operational, it is expected to generate around 10% of Türkiye’s electricity.
Officials say Türkiye still needs at least eight additional reactors, as well as 5 GW of small modular reactors. The country aims to reach 7.2 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035 and 20 GW by 2050.
Türkiye plans to build the second and third plants in the northern Sinop and Thrace regions.
Natural gas supply
Alongside all these, Türkiye still needs natural gas for electricity generation, according to Bayraktar.
The country is currently operating 25 GW of gas-fired capacity and is planning further expansion, the minister said.
“Most of our gas is imported through pipelines. We have a long-standing and reliable partnership with Russia’s Gazprom, dating back to the 1980s,” he said.
We also receive gas via pipelines from Iran and Azerbaijan. However, especially since 2016, we have seen a significant increase in LNG supplies, mainly from the U.S.”
Regasification infrastructure
Bayraktar noted that Türkiye has invested heavily in regasification infrastructure, increasing capacity nearly fivefold since 2016.
Higher liquified natural gas (LNG) supply from regions such as the United States, Australia, Africa and Qatar is the main reason behind the investments, according to the minister.
“Around one-quarter, and in some years up to one-third, of Türkiye’s gas imports come in the form of LNG,” said Bayraktar, citing major investments such as pipeline projects like TurkStream and TANAP.
“Our main objective is to ensure Türkiye’s gas supply security, as gas is used in households, industry and power generation, all of which are experiencing growing demand,” he noted.
Another area Türkiye is currently focusing on is upstream investment, namely exploration and production of oil and natural gas.
“That’s why we’re investing in offshore operations in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean,” said Bayraktar. “We’re also conducting exploration activities in regions like Somalia and soon in Pakistan.”
From production (upstream) to transportation (midstream), we’re investing in the entire infrastructure. Ultimately, our goal is to provide our citizens and customers with secure and affordable energy supply,” he added.
According to Bayraktar, Türkiye aims to secure gas for its domestic needs as well as contribute to regional energy security, particularly in Southeast Europe, allowing neighboring countries to access Turkish infrastructure to ensure their own energy needs.
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