Power output from wind hits 10.7 percent

ISTANBUL

Wind’s share in Turkey’s monthly electricity generation passed 10 percent threshold for the first time in January, the energy and natural resources minister said on Feb. 23.

“The wind blows with records in 2021,” Fatih Dönmez said in a tweet.

Power generation through wind turbines rose to more than 10 percent for the first time in Turkey’s history, he added.

“We generated 10.7 percent of electricity produced in January through Anatolia’s chilly winds,” said Dönmez.

Turkey’s current installed wind capacity is forecast to reach 10,000 megawatts (MW) by the end of this year, marking an increase of around 1,200 MW. Wind power meets around 8.5 percent of the country’s total electricity generation and is estimated to replace $1 billion worth of natural gas imports.

In 2020, hydropower plants provided 25.6 percent of the total generation while natural gas plants supplied 22.7 percent. Imported coal plants generated 22.3 percent, while wind, solar and geothermal plants generated 15 percent and lignite plants produced 12.5 percent. The remaining 1.9 percent of the generation came from other fuels like fuel-oil and bioenergy.