Türkiye pursues three critical goals in energy transition: Minister

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s energy transition is not based on a single objective and requires the simultaneous achievement of three critical goals, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said.

Speaking at the opening of the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit on Sept. 4, Bayraktar said the first objective was to ensure energy supply security, the second was to reduce Türkiye’s dependence on imported energy, which remains a significant economic vulnerability, and the third was to fulfill the country’s climate commitments, including its 2053 net-zero emissions target announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Bayraktar said none of these goals could be considered independently and that achieving all three at the same time had become more challenging under current conditions.

He pointed to recent developments in global energy markets, saying oil and natural gas markets were once again facing significant pressure.

“Energy prices have risen considerably. European natural gas prices have once again reached their highest levels in recent years,” he said.

The minister said these developments highlighted a fundamental reality that energy security had not disappeared from the agenda alongside the energy transition.

“On the contrary, energy security and energy transition must advance together. For Türkiye, the key to this is electrification,” he said.

Bayraktar said renewable energy would be at the center of the transition, noting that Türkiye has substantial solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal potential.

“We are rapidly increasing our renewable installed capacity while also building an electricity infrastructure capable of integrating much larger volumes of variable renewable generation into the system,” he said.

He also described energy efficiency as a strategic energy resource in its own right.

According to Bayraktar, Türkiye’s current National Energy Efficiency Action Plan foresees more than $20 billion in investments across the public and private sectors between 2024 and 2030, covering industry, buildings, transportation, agriculture and energy.

He said Türkiye will prepare a Third National Energy Efficiency Action Plan with more ambitious goals for the following decade.

Bayraktar also said nuclear power would remain an indispensable component of Türkiye’s carbon-free electricity generation portfolio.

“In an increasingly electrified economy, we do not see nuclear energy and renewable energy as competitors, but as two complementary pillars of a secure and clean energy system,” he said.

The minister said Türkiye was also preparing for a major transformation in transportation and that battery storage systems would play an increasingly critical role.

He stressed that electricity infrastructure would be one of the most important issues in the coming period.

“It is not enough to focus only on generation investments. We need very large-scale investments in both transmission and distribution networks. Our electricity grids must become larger, stronger, smarter and more flexible,” Bayraktar said.