Turkey opens 158 power plants worth $5 billion

ANKARA

A total of 158 power plants with an investment value of $5 billion were opened in Ankara in an official ceremony on Nov. 7, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

Speaking at the opening, Erdoğan stressed the importance of nuclear energy, renewable resources and coal reserves for Turkey’s energy sector. 

“As long as we can use renewable resources and coal reserves efficiently, we will be able to open new horizons for our country by closing our current account deficit,” he said, adding that the country also took big steps in developing its hydro power capacity and nuclear power capacity in recent years. 

Erdoğan also noted that the planned Akkuyu nuclear power plant in southern Turkey is due to become online by 2023. 

The installed power of these 158 facilities is 5,620 megawatts (MW), according to data compiled by state-run Anadolu Agency. Gas-fired power plants took the lions share in 2016, as a total of 23 gas-fired power plants went online with the capacity of 1,716 MW. They were followed by a coal-fired power plant with the capacity of 1,400 MW. 

Turkey’s installed power capacity exceeded 73,146 MW by the end of 2015 and reached 78,000 MW with the latest investments.