Türkiye could electrify 85 percent of its energy use: Report

LONDON

Türkiye could electrify up to 85 percent of its final energy consumption using existing technologies, significantly reducing its reliance on imported fossil fuels and strengthening energy security, according to a new report by Ember, a London-based energy think tank focused on accelerating the global transition to clean electricity.

Over the past decade, Türkiye has built significant momentum in clean electricity, raising the share of solar and wind in electricity generation from 4.5 percent to 22 percent, it noted. “However, spreading this clean energy across the wider economy depends on electricity replacing the fossil fuels burned in buildings, transport and industry,” it said.

“Between 1990 and 2024, electricity’s share of final energy consumption rose from 10 percent to 22 percent. But this increase did not replace fossil fuels. Almost all the growth in electricity consumption came from new needs,” it said. As a result, the share of fossil fuels in final energy consumption remained almost unchanged at around 70 percent throughout the period, the report added.

Over the past decade, fossil fuel consumption in Türkiye grew by an average of 2.5 percent a year and electricity demand by 4 percent, according to the report. “If current trends continue, the electrification rate will reach only 24.4 percent by 2035. Reaching the 35 percent target requires a rapid and fundamental change in the structure of energy consumption,” it said.

The report argues that electrification across key sectors, including transport, buildings and industry, would lower fossil fuel demand while helping Türkiye meet its climate and energy transition goals.

According to Ember, the largest opportunities for electrification lie in road transport through electric vehicles, residential and commercial heating through heat pumps, and industrial processes that can switch from fossil fuels to electricity-powered technologies.

The think tank said electrification, combined with a continued expansion of renewable energy capacity, would reduce Türkiye’s exposure to volatile global fossil fuel markets and help curb energy import costs.

Türkiye currently relies heavily on imported fossil fuels to meet its energy needs, making the economy vulnerable to international price shocks, Ember noted. The organization has previously estimated that the country meets roughly two-thirds of its energy demand through imported fossil fuels.

Ember said a broader shift to electricity use would allow growing renewable generation, particularly from solar and wind power, to play a larger role across the economy rather than being limited mainly to the power sector.

The report comes as Türkiye seeks to accelerate its clean energy transition while reducing its dependence on imported energy and improving long-term energy security.