By News Center

Energy imports, which are the largest item in the current
account deficit, are decreasing every year. In recent years, thanks
to investments in green resources such as wind, solar, geothermal
and dams, external dependency has been significantly reduced. In
addition to natural gas and oil discoveries, global energy lines
also play an important role in this independence adventure. One of
the areas that strengthen Türkiye’s local energy initiative stands
out as clean resources. Thanks to this, the share of renewable
energy in Türkiye’s total installed capacity has reached
approximately 55 percent by 2024.

Wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal energy investments
played a leading role in this breakthrough. According to the
calculations of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, 2024
was a record year for solar and wind. The new installation target
of 5,000 megawatts for solar and wind was exceeded and approached
6,000 megawatts. Thanks to this, Turkiye reduced its energy import
bill by billions of dollars. Because; every 1,000 megawatt new
installation prevents the import of 2.1 billion cubic meters of
natural gas. This ensures that resources worth 800 million and 1
billion dollars remain in Türkiye.

Last year, Turkiye managed to add 3,600 megawatts to solar
energy and 700 megawatts to wind energy. Again, as of last month,
installed solar power reached 20,378 megawatts. Wind energy
capacity also reached 13,044 megawatts. Türkiye’s total renewable
energy installed power was calculated as 68,480 megawatts. In
addition, Turkiye completed the YEKA competitions, which paved the
way for large-scale investments in both wind and solar, in recent
months. While a 1,200-megawatt YEKA competition is being organized
in wind, according to calculations, an investment of 1.2 billion
dollars will be made for this capacity.

Again, thanks to the 800 megawatt YEKA competition held at the
beginning of this year, an investment of 600 million dollars is
expected. In addition, Turkiye has previously set its target for
large-scale investments with a target of at least 2,000 megawatt
YEKA projects each year. The YEKA projects put into operation this
year offer advantages such as foreign exchange-based pricing,
minimum locality requirement and international arbitration
opportunities. In addition, these projects will be exempt from the
costs of the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation
(TEİAŞ).

According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA), global renewable energy capacity increased by 58.1 percent
between 2020 and 2024, reaching 4,448 gigawatts. Solar and wind
power plants led this increase. The largest increase was seen in
solar power plants (SPP) during the 2020-2024 period. Global SPP
installed capacity increased by 157.6 percent, reaching 1,865
gigawatts. Turkiye has exceeded the world average in terms of its
share of renewable energy. Renewable energy capacity in the country
increased by 40.8 percent between 2020 and 2024. Türkiye’s solar
energy capacity increased by 198.2 percent.