On Thursday, Turkey announced its National Energy Plan and Hydrogen Technologies Strategy and Roadmap, both of which are aimed at meeting the country's 2053 net zero emissions targets.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez spoke at a briefing in Ankara, where he stated that the National Energy Plan is intended to support economic growth and take Turkey's green energy transformation to the next level.
The plan projects that Turkey's energy consumption, which was 147.2 million tons of oil equivalent in 2020, will reach 205.3 million tons of oil equivalent in 2035, an increase of 39.5%. Renewable energy sources, which had a 16.7% share in primary energy consumption in 2020, will increase to 23.7% in 2035.
The country's installed power in electricity will reach 189,700 megawatts, up from 95,900 megawatts in 2020. 74.3% of this increase in capacity is expected to come from renewable energy sources, primarily solar and wind.
In 2035, the solar installed power will reach 52,900 megawatts, while this number will be 29,600 megawatts for wind, 35,100 megawatts for hydroelectricity, and 5,100 megawatts for geothermal and biomass.
Donmez also announced that the country aims to achieve a battery storage capacity of 7.5 gigawatts by 2035 and that electricity generation from nuclear energy will have a share of 11.1% in the country's total power production.
In addition, Donmez also announced Turkey's new Hydrogen Technologies Strategy and Roadmap, highlighting that green hydrogen, obtained by using renewable energy sources through the electrolysis of water, will be an important element in achieving the country's net zero emissions target.
Starting in 2030 and continuing until 2053, the share of hydrogen blended into natural gas will be 12%, and synthetic methane 30%. The goal is to reduce the cost of hydrogen production per kilogram to $2.4 by 2035 and to halve that figure by the 2050s.
Donmez stressed that electrolysis of water is one of the most convenient methods of generating electricity from hydrogen and that under the new plan, installed electrolyzer capacity will reach 2 GW in 2030, 5 GW in 2035, and 70 GW in 2053.
He concluded by stating that by adding electrolyzers to installed capacity along with renewable energy and nuclear, the country will be taking another important step towards zero emissions.
