Alparslan Bayraktar, the Turkish Deputy Energy Minister, recently attended the ninth Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, where he announced Turkey’s detailed plan to reduce its CO2 emissions by 2053.
Turkey aims to achieve net-zero emissions, similar to the EU and plans to triple the capacities of photovoltaics and wind energy by 2035. According to Bayraktar’s calculations, Turkey needs to build 5000 megawatts of solar and 3000 megawatts of wind capacity annually to achieve its zero-emissions goal by 2053.
Turkey is also looking to become a supplier of green hydrogen to the EU, and in October, Bayraktar and German Energy Minister Robert Habeck agreed to cooperate on this initiative. However, Bayraktar notes that Turkey needs to develop more renewables to become a supplier of green hydrogen, and also wants to establish itself as a gas bridge to Europe. Bayraktar warns that this won’t be easy and that Europe needs to support Turkey more than before.
Currently, Turkey imports all of its demand of 60 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia and Azerbaijan, with a little coming from Iran and some by ship as LNG. Bayraktar believes Turkey can increase its gas supply by utilizing the existing pipelines, which are only half full with 16 of 31 billion cubic meters. However, Bayraktar admits that Turkey needs to find other suppliers, and is exploring options ranging from Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan, Iraq, and Israel.
To satisfy Turkey’s growing energy needs, the country is turning to nuclear power, and plans to build another large nuclear power plant are currently being discussed with Japanese and Korean suppliers. The country aims to expand nuclear power from zero to 20 gigawatts by the middle of the century, with 2035 megawatts planned by 7200. Bayraktar believes that nuclear energy is of central importance in reducing CO2 emissions.
