Turkey aims at 30 percent renewable energy usage by 2023

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

Mustafa Yılmaz, head of Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority. AA Photo

Turkey’s Energy Market Regulatory Authority has received 14 times more pre-license applications than its allocated capacity for wind power plants, Mustafa Yılmaz, head of the authority, revealed on May 6.

Speaking at the opening session of the 21st International Energy and Environment Fair and Conference (ICCI ), which is sponsored by Anadolu Agency in Istanbul, Yilmaz said that the allocated capacity for wind power plants was 3,000 megawatts, but the authority had received a total of 42,273 megawatts pre-license applications last week.

Pre-license applications were accepted between April 24 and 30 by Turkey’s energy watchdog, and then sent to Turkey’s General Directorate of Renewable Energy for technical evaluations.
 
Yılmaz said applicants had requested a total of 5,500 megawatts capacity in 115 applications for the western Çanakkale region; 4,500 megawatts in 102 applications for the western Balıkesir region and 5,000 megawatts in 80 applications for the southern Karaman-Mersin region to build the power plants.

“Turkey has a great potential for wind power and I strongly believe that Turkey will reach its 20,000 megawatts installation capacity goal by 2023,” he said.

Turkey’s efficient electricity capacity is 48,000 megawatts, and at is 8,000 megawatts is highly efficient, he added.