The Turkish steel sector remains focused on its 2026 targets, Selçuk Yılmaz, Board Member of the Audit Committee at the Steel Exporters’ Association (ÇİD), told daily Milliyet, adding that no deviation is currently expected from projections of 20 million tons in exports and $17 billion in value.
Yılmaz noted that efforts to diversify into alternative markets are continuing through trade delegations to offset possible contractions in the European market.
The country ranks seventh worldwide and first in Europe, he said, adding that the sector closed 2025 with 38 million tons of crude steel production, while export volumes reached 19 million tons.
“As the Turkish steel industry, our proximity to Europe offers a significant advantage. Once a shipment departs from here, it can reach European ports in approximately 48 hours. In contrast, when you consider our export competitors such as India, Vietnam, and Taiwan, shipping alone typically takes between 25 and 30 days,” Yılmaz said.
“Türkiye is always a safe harbor for the EU. In terms of quality, both in flat and long steel products, Türkiye has proven itself. We are able to make quick decisions, produce high-quality goods, and deliver materials to our European customers on very short notice,” he said.
Yılmaz also pointed out that recent increases in industrial electricity and natural gas prices have pushed up production costs, underlining the importance of green transformation investments in easing this pressure.
In line with the sector’s net-zero carbon target for 2050, the industry has already begun sourcing between 15 percent and 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable resources such as solar power.
