Public sector vital for getting energy invests: Minister

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

The public sector is responsible for the establishment of a secure and reliable environment for energy sector investor needs and priorities through the development of relevant policies, legislation and incentives, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Fatih Dönmez, said on March 17.

Dönmez, who participated in the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue via videoconference, said that energy supply security consolidated its place as a top priority in the policies of many countries given the challenges the energy sector faced in 2020 due to the corona pandemic.

"Needless to say, continuity of investments is an important tool in securing supplies and maintaining stability and resilience of markets," Dönmez said.

He also stressed the importance of collaboration and harmony between the public and private sector, both at national and international levels to implement energy transition policies.

Although he acknowledged that the implementation of energy transition policies is very encouraging, he said that it does not only relate to the transition of fuels but also involves institutions, markets, market players and consumers.

"So it sounds simple but it is a complex challenge. The burden of this transition is on governments' shoulders," he said.

He detailed Turkey’s three-part approach to achieve a meaningful energy transition – Enable, Innovate and Communicate.

- 'Enable' relates to implementing legislation and grid system security that would enable maximum utilization of renewables so Turkey can move from having practically zero renewables curtailment to a place where renewables play a larger share in power generation.

- 'Innovate' involves private sector participation in raising the number of startups to accelerate the energy transition. Dönmez urged for more result-oriented pilot projects for storage in all distribution regions to eliminate the storage challenges stemming from the increasing use of renewables.

- 'Communicate' refers to the work of governments as a game setter and facilitator in establishing the main policy framework in coordination and consultation with all stakeholders, including NGOs, financial institutions and the private sector to lead the energy transition.

"Without the participation of different stakeholders, the realization of transition project policies would be very difficult," Dönmez said.