Turkey’s Renewable Energy Resource Areas

In 2016, the Turkish government introduced the Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA) strategy, a tender process to procure the production of renewable energy in renewable energy zones, which are deemed most suitable for renewable energy generation. The first auctions were awarded for a solar PV plant in March 2017 (1 GW) and for an onshore wind plant in August 2017 (1 GW). In addition to these auctions, the second onshore wind auctions were awarded in 2019 (four auctions of 250 MW each). The third solar power auctions were held in 2021, covering 36 provinces, with a total power of 1 GW. Upcoming auctions in late 2021 and early 2022 include 2 GW of wind capacity, 1 GW of solar capacity and 1.5 W of geothermal capacity. Overall, tenders have helped Turkey increase the proportion of electricity sourced from renewable resources, which reached 42.3% in 2020. In line with this trend (as well as growth in coal-fired generation), Turkey’s share of natural gas in power generation fell by 40% in 2019 compared to 2009. Given its heavy dependence on imports for natural gas, Turkey’s overarching priority is to reduce the share of imported gas and increase the share of domestically produced energy resources, including renewables, especially in power generation.

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