By Abdullahi Lukman
Türkiye generated 442.2 terawatt-hours of electricity from solar and wind power between 2015 and 2025, helping the country avoid an estimated $21.5 billion in coal imports, according to data from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
The renewable electricity generation also reduced the need for imported natural gas. If the same amount of electricity had been produced using natural gas-fired plants, an estimated $43.3 billion in gas imports would have been required.
The growth in solar and wind generation has strengthened Türkiye’s efforts to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while improving energy supply security and lowering emissions from electricity generation.
Based on the ministry’s calculations, the 442.2 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity avoided about 354 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions if it is assumed to have replaced electricity generated from imported coal.
If the renewable generation replaced natural gas-fired electricity, about 177 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would have been avoided.
In 2015, solar and wind sources generated 11,847 gigawatt-hours of electricity, replacing an estimated $300 million in imported coal and preventing about 9.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The figures have increased substantially over the following decade as Türkiye expanded its renewable energy capacity and increased the contribution of solar and wind power to electricity supply.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Türkiye was making greater use of renewable resources as part of its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2053 and strengthening energy independence.
Bayraktar said Türkiye currently ranks fifth in Europe and 11th globally in renewable energy capacity and plans to increase its renewable installed capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035.
