By Abbas Nazil
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are set to deepen their renewable-energy partnership through a new 3,000-megawatt agreement that will raise the total planned capacity of their joint renewable-energy projects in Türkiye to 5,000MW.
Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, disclosed the plan in a statement issued by the ministry, saying the additional agreement would be signed on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Conference in Antalya.
The two countries had previously reached an agreement covering 2,000MW of renewable-energy projects in Türkiye.
Bayraktar said the new 3,000MW deal would significantly expand bilateral cooperation in renewable energy and strengthen Türkiye’s efforts to increase clean-energy capacity.
The development comes as Türkiye seeks to reduce its dependence on imported energy and advance its long-term ambition of achieving greater energy independence.
Bayraktar said Türkiye had substantially expanded its energy infrastructure over the past two decades, with installed electricity capacity increasing from about 32,000MW to 126,000MW.
He added that the country had commissioned approximately 95,000MW of new electricity-generation capacity over the past 24 years, placing Türkiye among Europe’s leading countries in installed electricity capacity, generation and consumption.
The minister identified energy independence as a central objective of Türkiye’s “Century of Türkiye” vision, while highlighting developments in domestic oil and natural-gas production.
According to Bayraktar, Türkiye’s domestic natural-gas production from the Black Sea is expected to double in 2026 and quadruple by 2028.
He said the country could meet the natural-gas needs of about 17 million households with domestic Black Sea production by 2028.
Türkiye is also expanding oil production, particularly in the southeastern Gabar field, where output has surpassed 83,000 barrels per day and more than 3,500 people are employed.
Bayraktar said Türkiye was also investigating unconventional oil resources in Diyarbakir, with the potential for production two to three times greater than that of Gabar.
Beyond domestic production, the minister said Türkiye was exploring opportunities to strengthen regional energy security and diversify supply routes amid uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
He said Ankara was discussing the possibility of transporting a significant share of Iraqi oil to international markets through Türkiye and the Ceyhan terminal.
Türkiye is also examining possible routes for Qatari natural gas through Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria to Türkiye and onward to Europe, as well as routes involving Iraq and the Development Road project.
Bayraktar said Kuwaiti oil could also potentially reach Türkiye, describing the current regional crisis as an opportunity to develop alternative energy routes and make regional and global markets more resilient to future disruptions.
Meanwhile, Türkiye is pursuing oil and natural-gas exploration projects in Pakistan, with the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel expected to travel there in September or October.
The expanded renewable-energy agreement with Saudi Arabia therefore forms part of Türkiye’s broader strategy to increase clean-energy capacity, diversify energy supplies, strengthen regional energy cooperation and reduce its dependence on imported fuels.
The 5,000MW renewable-energy target could also strengthen investment and technology cooperation between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia while supporting both countries’ efforts to expand cleaner sources of electricity.
