Power system strong amid European blackout, says official
ISTANBUL
Citing recent power outages in Europe, Türkiye’s deputy energy minister said that the country’s electricity system is designed to ensure sustainability when intermittent energy sources fall short.
“The stronger the baseload power plants are within a systematic structure, the more resilient the overall system becomes, and currently, our system is quite robust in this regard,” Nevzat Şatıroğlu told state-run Anadolu Agency.
“Intermittent energy sources like solar and wind plants occasionally go offline and halt electricity production, so we need coal to meet demand, and if coal isn’t sufficient, we turn to gas or nuclear,” he explained.
Last week, the Iberian Peninsula suffered its worst blackout in modern history shortly after midday, with nearly all of mainland Spain and Portugal without power.
Noting that energy security is not only about production but also about continuity and resource diversity, Şatıroğlu said: “We support our grid both with domestic and environmentally friendly sources.”
“While expanding renewable sources such as solar and wind, we also rely on steady supplies like coal and natural gas to keep the system balanced,” he said.
“As the Ministry, we are encouraging the private sector and commissioning systems capable of burning our coal in an environmentally responsible way," he said.
'We are working to improve the emission performance of existing power plants to keep them operational and to boost their efficiency,” he added.
Speaking about Türkiye's roadmap for energy supply security, Şatıroğlu highlighted that domestic production and environmental sensitivity are at the forefront of energy investments.
