‘Energy imports decline amid higher use of renewables

SHURA Energy Transition Center has underscored Türkiye's remarkable progress in energy transformation, fueled by a year of ambitious renewable energy investments, at the "2024 Assessment and 2025 Projection" conference organized in Istanbul on Dec. 25.

Alkım Bağ Güllü, the director of SHURA, described 2024 as a transformative year for Türkiye's energy policies. Güllü stated that energy imports amounted to $53 billion in the first 10 months of 2024, a decrease of $5 billion compared to the previous year. She noted that this reduction was not due to falling prices but the country's low consumption of imported fossil energy resources and increased use of renewable energy.

"Clean energy adoption has surged due to economic advantages offered by these technologies. However, geopolitical and economic uncertainties pose challenges for policy progress," said Selahattin Hakman, the chairman of SHURA's steering committee. Hakman shared key data, noting that clean energy now constitutes nearly 70 percent of the $3 trillion global energy market, up from 50 percent in 2015.

In Türkiye, 2024 saw renewable energy sources making up 59 percent of the country's 115 GW installed capacity, Hakman stated, adding that "99 percent of the additional capacity of 6.5 GW comes from renewable energy sources."

For 2025, Türkiye plans to expand its renewable capacity with at least 2 GW of additional Renewable Energy Resources Zones (YEKA) auctions annually, beginning with 800 MW for solar and 1,200 MW for wind. Güllü emphasized the need for transparent and long-term policies to attract the required $15 billion annual investment for energy transformation.