Türkiye is quickly expanding its domestic, renewable, and diversified energy production to meet growing demand, reduce dependence on imports, and position itself as a regional energy hub.
Due to its recent achievements in economic development and growth, Türkiye is among the countries with the fastest-growing energy demand, The Caspian Post reports citing Daily Sabah.
Ensuring a secure energy supply, increasing diversity, and, more importantly, meeting this growing demand through domestic production are all critical to sustaining this growth. As such, energy security stands at the forefront of Türkiye’s energy policies. At the same time, while placing climate change at the center of its agenda, Türkiye is working to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources. Simultaneously, becoming a regional power in the global energy distribution network remains a key and indispensable objective of its energy strategy.
Türkiye’s installed power capacity has increased nearly fourfold over the past 20 years - from 30,000 megawatts (MW) to 114,000 MW - while the private sector’s share has risen from around 20% to 80%. However, due to its heavy reliance on external sources to meet its continuously growing energy demand, the country spends substantial resources on energy imports. For instance, in 2023 alone, Türkiye imported $70 billion worth of energy. To reduce this burden, it is essential to increase the share of domestic and renewable energy sources. Moreover, the inclusion of nuclear energy in the national energy portfolio is considered a strategic move. In this context, work is ongoing on the Akkuyu, Sinop and Thrace Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) projects.
On the other hand, Türkiye’s geographical proximity to major energy sources strengthens its potential to become a key player in global energy distribution networks and, consequently, a regional energy hub. Significant projects contributing to this potential include the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Crude Oil Pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) Natural Gas Pipeline, the Türkiye-Greece Natural Gas Interconnector (ITG) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). Additionally, the TurkStream Natural Gas Pipeline, which has one line supplying Türkiye and another transporting gas to Europe, further underscores Türkiye’s strategic role. In 2020, the Southern Gas Corridor - comprising the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and TANAP - became operational, forming Europe’s fourth major natural gas artery. Similarly, in terms of oil transportation, Türkiye holds a critical position with pipelines such as the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık Crude Oil Pipeline (also known as the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline) and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline.
Domestic energy production
The National Energy Policy, adopted in 2017, identifies the expansion of domestic and renewable energy sources as one of its core priorities. In this context, we are witnessing a massive mobilization in recent years aimed at unlocking Türkiye’s domestic energy potential - particularly to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s overall energy supply.
Since 2016, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has launched extensive exploration and production operations in oil and natural gas, spanning from Gabar to Sakarya - efforts that are now beginning to yield results. As of today, Türkiye Petroleum Corporation’s (TPAO) daily oil production has increased from 36,000 barrels in 2016 to 150,000 barrels, with 62,000 barrels coming from the Gabar region alone. The goal is to raise production in Gabar to 70,000 barrels per day. To reduce Türkiye’s dependence on natural gas imports, exploration activities guided by the national energy and mining policy led to the discovery of the Sakarya Gas Field, which currently produces around 7 million cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas per day. The target is to increase daily production from this field to 10 mcm in the first quarter of 2025.
Diversifying energy sources in the supply mix is among the critical priorities for meeting Türkiye’s growing energy demand. In 2002, Türkiye’s total installed power capacity was 31,846 MW, of which 19,143 MW came from domestic and renewable sources. By the end of October 2024, this figure had risen to a total of 114,599 MW, with 79,263 MW coming from domestic and renewable sources. During the same period, installed renewable capacity grew from 12,305 MW to 67,788 MW. Solar energy, which started from zero, reached 19,000 MW, while wind energy rose from just 9 MW to 12,446 MW. Without the major strides made in renewable energy over the past two decades, Türkiye would have had to import an additional $142 billion worth of energy. As a result of these policies, Türkiye now ranks 5th in Europe and 12th globally in terms of installed renewable energy capacity.
On the other hand, investors currently hold a project pipeline with a total capacity of 70,000 MW. When compared to the current installed capacity of 31,451 MW in wind and solar energy, it becomes clear that investors possess more than twice the installed capacity. Approximately 70% of this capacity is allocated to solar power plants (GES), while the remaining portion is dedicated to wind power plants (RES). Therefore, it is essential to accelerate this investment process and reassess time-consuming regulatory or procedural elements. In this context, the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan for 2024-2030 outlines a strategy whereby the public and private sectors are expected to invest a total of $20 billion over the next seven years. These investments are projected to reduce primary energy demand by approximately 16%.
In addition to utilizing domestic energy resources, significant steps have also been taken to localize equipment production, aiming to reduce the share of equipment imports in the current account deficit. For example, while there were only 27 manufacturers in 2014, this number has now risen to 500. Furthermore, main equipment manufacturers, together with their subcontractors, currently provide employment opportunities for approximately 50,000 people.
In summary, Türkiye has written - and continues to write - a remarkable success story in the energy sector, just as it has in many other areas over the past 20 years. As our country grows steadily, so does its energy demand. Through the energy policies briefly outlined above, the share of domestic energy resources in the energy supply has been steadily increasing to meet this growing demand. Energy diversification is improving, and Türkiye continues to play a key role in the distribution of regional resources. As a result, thanks to its consistent policies, Türkiye has made significant progress in ensuring energy supply security. Just as the achievements in the defense industry have become a source of pride for all citizens, a similar success story is unfolding in the energy sector. It is clear that this success story in energy needs to be more widely shared and communicated. At the same time, universities can play a vital role in sustaining this momentum by contributing to the sector through comprehensive research projects. Such academic engagement will help ensure that Türkiye’s growth in the energy field remains robust and sustainable.
