Wind energy equipment exports hit $2.2 billion in 2023

ISTANBUL

Export revenues of Turkish wind energy equipment manufacturers increased from $1.5 billion in 2020 to $2.2 billion in 2023, according to İbrahim Erden, the president of the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB).

Türkiye is on a path to becoming a reliable supplier to the European wind energy supply chain, Erden told daily Hürriyet.

The wind energy equipment manufacturing industry is growing fast in Anatolian cities, Erden said.

“We are producing thousands of parts in addition to wind tribune towers and blades. At wind energy plants, some 65 percent of the equipment is domestically produced…The wind industry is becoming an important player in employment and production,” he added.

The industry presently employs 20,000 people, Erden said, noting that outside of equipment and parts production, around 25,000 people are working in the fields of engineering and construction.

The provinces of İzmir, Balıkesir and Çanakkale as well as the Thrace region will become important investment centers for the wind energy industry, according to Erden.

One of the biggest challenges for the local companies is cheap wind turbines and other equipment from China, he stressed.

Wind energy has lost some momentum in the past two years, Erden also said.

Türkiye has the potential to create at least 3,000 megawatts of new installed capacity each year, whereas over the past 15 years the annual average was 1,000 megawatts, according to Erden.

The country’s total electricity installed capacity is 107,600 megawatts, while the wind energy installed capacity has reached 12,300 megawatts, rising from only 900 megawatts in 2009.

Türkiye hopes to increase its wind energy capacity to 13,000 megawatts in 2024.