Renewables help Türkiye avoid $21.5 billion in coal imports

ANKARA,

Türkiye generated 442.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity from wind and solar power over the decade spanning 2015 to 2025, according to the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry data.

By replacing fossil fuel consumption with renewables, the ministry reported saving $21.5 billion on imported coal while cutting about 354 million tons of carbon emissions.

Türkiye produced 11,847 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from solar and wind power in 2015, substituting electricity that could have been generated using imported coal worth around $300 million and preventing 9.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Between 2015 and 2025, the country generated 442.2 TWh of electricity from solar and wind energy. The ministry said this output eliminated the need for $21.5 billion worth of imported coal or $43.3 billion worth of natural gas imports that would have been required to produce the same amount of electricity.

The ministry added that replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy prevented about 354 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions when compared with coal-fired power generation. Based on natural gas-fired generation, the amount of avoided emissions was estimated at around 177 million tons.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a social media post that Türkiye would continue maximizing the use of renewable energy resources in line with its 2053 net-zero emissions and full energy independence targets.

Bayraktar said that electricity generated from wind and solar energy between 2015 and 2025 prevented up to 354 million tons of carbon emissions while also reducing fossil fuel imports worth tens of billions of dollars. He added that Türkiye currently ranks fifth in Europe and 11th globally in renewable energy investments and aims to increase installed renewable power capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035.