Türkiye eyes 2030-2032 rollout for first offshore wind project

ISTANBUL  

Türkiye’s first 1,000-megawatt offshore wind Renewable Energy Resource Zone (YEKA) project could be gradually commissioned between 2030 and 2032 if development proceeds as planned, Turkish Wind Energy Association President Ibrahim Erden has said.

Erden said the project is expected to be tendered in the first quarter of 2027 and could take four to six years to develop and implement.

The project would not only contribute to electricity generation but also help develop Türkiye’s wind energy industrial infrastructure and create new investment opportunities, he stated.

He said offshore wind energy could create new opportunities for shipyards, equipment manufacturers and other industrial sectors, paving the way for a new wind energy ecosystem.

“The development and implementation of the first 1,000 MW offshore wind YEKA project could take around four to six years. A gradual rollout between 2030 and 2032 would be a realistic expectation,” Erden said.

The sector expects at least 1.5 gigawatts of wind energy YEKA tenders to be announced annually through 2035, Erden said.

Offshore wind farms can cost 2.5 to three times as much to build as onshore projects, he added.

“An offshore wind investment with a capacity of 1,000 MW requires around $3 billion, while an onshore project of the same capacity costs approximately $1 billion,” Erden said.

Projects of this scale could also offer opportunities for international financial institutions and investment partnerships, enabling Türkiye to benefit from foreign financing and technology partnerships, he added.