Aegean region accounts for 29 pct of wind energy capacity

ISTANBUL

The Aegean Region, which accounts for 29 percent of Türkiye's installed wind energy capacity, generates enough electricity from wind power plants (WPP) to supply an average of 2.5 million households annually.

İzmir ranks first among cities in the region generating the most electricity from wind, with an installed capacity of 1,979 megawatts.

Other cities in the region also contribute to wind energy production: Manisa has an installed capacity of 750 megawatts, followed by Aydın with 440, Afyon with 390, Muğla with 220, Uşak with 151, Denizli with 74, and Kütahya with 50, according to data from the Turkish Wind Energy Association.

Türkiye's installed wind energy capacity reached 13,792 megawatts in 2024.

Ebru Arıcı from the association said that the Marmara and Aegean regions stand out in electricity generation from wind energy, noting that Türkiye's first WPP was commissioned in 1988 in the Çeşme district of İzmir.

Türkiye's installed wind power capacity, which was just 19 megawatts in 2005, has now exceeded 13,000 megawatts and approximately 12 percent of the country's electricity production comes from wind energy, she noted.

İzmir is also a strong player in the wind energy industry, according to Arıcı. She noted that the production of wind energy equipment has created employment for 40,000 people, with 70 percent of the manufactured equipment being exported.

Alper Kalaycı, board chairman of the Energy Industrialists and Business People Association, said that Türkiye has a huge potential in renewable energy.

The share of renewable energy sources in electricity production has been increasing over the years, he said, recalling that Türkiye has set an ambitious production target of 120,000 megawatts in wind and solar energy by 2035.