Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, announced the successful allocation of a total capacity of 2285 MW for wind and solar energy projects through a series of "YEKA" tenders conducted for 18 different sites. This step comes to strengthen the country's clean energy infrastructure and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Details of Solar Energy Tenders (YEKA GES-2026)
Within the results of the solar energy tenders specifically, a capacity of 785 MW was allocated across 11 sites in several Turkish provinces: Denizli, Ankara, Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Batman, and Elazığ. This tender witnessed significant technical and investment interest, with 19 companies submitting 44 applications to participate.
Under the agreements, winning investors will be able to sell the electricity produced in the free market for 60 months from the date of signing the contracts. After this period, the produced energy will be supplied to the transmission system at a fixed price of 3.25 euro cents per kWh for 20 years.
Economic and Technical Impact of the Projects
These projects are expected to inject new investments into the Turkish economy worth up to 1.9 billion dollars. Operationally, these new capacities will contribute to the production of 6.1 billion kWh of clean electricity annually, which will lead to a reduction in natural gas imports by 1.22 billion cubic meters per year, directly enhancing Turkey's energy security.
What changes practically?
This expansion represents a strategic shift in Turkey's energy mix, as the focus moves from reliance on imported gas to utilizing local renewable resources. This trend not only reduces the state's operational costs and pressure on the balance of payments but also contributes to building advanced technical infrastructure that supports sustainability goals and reduces carbon emissions by integrating massive capacities of solar and wind energy into the national grid.