Türkiye among top 10 nations in boosting hydropower capacity

ISTANBUL

Türkiye was among the top 10 countries in the world in new hydropower installed capacity in 2023, according to a recent report by the International Hydropower Association (IHA).

Türkiye added 399 megawatts of new capacity, ranking first in Europe and eighth in the world. China topped the list with 6,749 megawatts, followed by Nigeria at 740 megawatts and Colombia at 643 megawatts.

The country’s total hydropower installed capacity was 32,529 megawatts last year.

Last year, hydropower accounted for 19.6 percent of the electricity generated, show data from the Energy Ministry. The country’s electricity production dropped 0.6 percent in 2023 from 2022 to 326.3TWh, while consumption fell 0.2 percent to 330.3TWh.

As of the end of May, Türkiye’s total installed capacity reached 110,341MW with hydropower capturing a 29.2 percent share in total.

According to the Turkish government there is over 130TWh of technically exploitable hydropower potential in the country, of which 60-70TWh is currently used, said the IHA report.

The Turkish government has substantially supported the development of new hydropower facilities over the last 20 years and placed hydropower resources at the core of its energy policies, it added.

Türkiye has 2.3GW of hydropower projects currently in development, of which 460MW are under construction, the report noted.

The overarching headline this year is the growth in the global hydropower fleet to 1,416GW in 2023, said the IHA report.

“Conventional hydropower capacity grew by 7.2GW to 1,237GW, while pumped storage hydropower (PSH) grew by 6.5GW to 179GW.”

The conventional hydropower capacity addition was the lowest single year delivery this century, though the longer-term average is relatively stable at about 20GW per year, according to the report.