Renewable energy investments to ramp up

TURKEY - Hyped up interest in renewable energy investments may be perceived as a sign of Turkish business world attaching importance to climate change. In 2011, the Energy Market Regulatory Authority expects to see private sector investments worth $3.2 billion to renewable energy. The energy ministry aims to increase renewable energy's share in Turkey's total energy resources to at least 30 percent by 2023.

This year some $4.2 billion worth of private sector investments will be added to Turkey's energy market, said Hasan Köktas, chairman of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority, or EMRA.

Facilities generating 2,833 megawatts energy stepped into the local energy market last year, said Köktas on Sunday. Some 1,400 megawatts of that figure was from natural gas, while 1,000 megawatts was from renewable energy sources, including hydroelectric and wind. "This figure is the highest attained for the past seven years. In 2010 we aim to surpass the 2009 figure." Based on the reports received by the authority, some 3.5 billion liras out of the total 5 billion liras investment, which will be implemented by the private sector, will be on renewable energy, Köktas said, adding that the remaining 1.4 billion will be on natural gas resources.

In 2010, 3,400 megawatts of installed capacity is expected to step in to the market, said Köktas. The annual energy production of the facilities will be 21 billion kilowatt per hour, he added. Besides providing energy, newly established facilities will also help increase employment opportunities, Köktas said.

"We have started on sight inspection for the energy investments last year. We will continue to do so starting April. We will visit the development sites of the companies that have received licenses. The licenses of the companies that have not made the investments they have promised will be canceled," said Köktas.

At a separate meeting in Ankara on Sunday, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, told the members of the Parliament that the ministry was aiming to increase renewable energy's share in Turkey's energy resources to at least 30 percent by 2023. Natural gas' share in the country's energy recourses is foreseen to be lowered to below 30 percent, he added.

EMRA provided licenses for wind turbines that will have 3,350 megawatts of installed capacity, Yildiz said. In 2002, Turkey had next to none wind energy recourses, he said. In 2009, wind energy capacity of the country reached 802 megawatts, Yildiz said and added that figure will increase to 2,200 megawatts within the next two years.

As per November 2009, Turkey added wind turbines with installed capacity of 374 megawatts. Hydroelectric power plants with 564 megawatts installed capacity also stepped in by that time and geothermal energy plants with installed capacity of 47.4 megawatts were added to the country's energy resources by November 2009.

Turkey's installed capacity of electrical energy was 31,845 megawatts in 2002. That's figure rose to 44,782 megawatts by 2009. Some 7,087 megawatts of that comes from projects launched and completed in that period.