Coal still backbone of Turkish energy sector

ISTANBUL

The share of coal in Turkey’s energy generation is still more than 25 percent as it feeds one-third of the country’s energy needs, despite efforts to shift to cleaner and cheaper fuels.

Nearly 49,000 people are employed in the 740 registered coal and lignite mining facilities across the country, which generated 61.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of gross electricity in 2013, according to Social Security Institution figures reported by Anadolu Agency.

The installed capacity of coal-powered power plants in Turkey in 2013 was 12,563 megawatts (MW), equivalent to 20 percent of the total installed power capacity.