[34] Mobile 10MW batteries may be useful in future for reducing temporary transmission congestion between regions, or larger ones for frequency regulation. [37], In the 21st century fossil fuel subsidies are around 0.2% of GDP,[38] including US$1.6 billion annually between 2015 and 2017.

In Hereke, outside Istanbul, the Nuh cement plant puts a similar emphasis on efficiency.

Water power already provides for about twenty three percent of the country's energy needs. Now it is a power source, home to several dams. [73] Although the coal industry and the government are said to have a close relationship, economic downturn and the falling cost of wind and solar may increase pressure on coal subsidies. [122], 308.5 billion kWh of electricity was generated in Turkey in 2019,[123] which is almost a fifth of the amount of primary energy in Turkey. As of 2018[update] the tax per unit energy on gasoline was higher than diesel,[45] despite diesel cars on average emitting more lung damaging NOx. United Kingdom previous. [72], Without subsidies new and some existing coal power would be unprofitable, and it is claimed that path dependence, political influence, and distorted markets are what is keeping it going. [85] Data on SO2, NOx and particulate air pollution from each large plant is collected by government[86] but not published. she exclaims. Iran, the second biggest supplier, is connected via the Tabriz–Ankara pipeline. [50] As of 2018[update] if all currently economic renewable projects were developed, the added electricity generation would be sufficient to reduce Turkey's natural gas imports by 20%,[51][52] [59] In 2020 Turkish companies in general still owe much foreign currency[60] and debt may be restructured and plants may change ownership. [119], Turkey has no operational nuclear reactors, but it is building a nuclear power plant at Akkuyu, with expected operation in 2023.

[48]

[68] Most energy deals in 2019 were for renewables and over half the investment was from outside the country. European wiring color codes are used. With per-capita energy use in Turkey still comparatively low at 1.8 tonnes of oil equivalent (compared with an EU-average of 3.2 toe), energy demand is expected to grow. Rising incomes and living standards means that demand for energy and electricity in Turkey is growing at about 6 to 7 percent a year, and has been for the last twenty years.

[107] As it has 80% of the market[109] BOTAŞ can and does subsidize residential and industrial customers. [116] As most oil is used for transport it is hoped that electrifying land transport will reduce the import bill. [28] Speaking in July 2020 Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez said that half of the country's electricity was generated by renewables,[29] but as rainfall for hydropower varies annually it is not yet clear whether this is true longterm.

[82], In an attempt to reduce fossil fuel imports local production of electric cars and establishing solar cell factories is supported.[83]. I see a big future in supporting small hydro projects like this one.". Kaif Gungor runs a small hardware store.

According to Hülya Saygılı, an economist at Turkey's central bank, although imports of solar and wind power components accounted for 12 percent of import costs in 2017, in EU countries this is largely due to one-time setup costs.
[128], During the late 20th and early 21st centuries the country was very exposed to oil and gas price volatility. The Turkish drilling ship Fatih, had been carrying out exploration operations in the Tuna-1 sector in the western Black Sea for the past month. [6] By the end of the 20th century almost all the population was supplied with electricity. She said that compared with Italy and Greece, Turkey has not invested enough in solar and wind power.

[50] All industrial and commercial consumers and households buying over 75 thousand cubic-meters a year can switch suppliers. [112], The contract to import from Iran expires in 2026 and, according to one Iranian energy analyst, although the two countries both wish to increase trade generally, Iran will need to offer more incentives. Turkey consumes over 6 exajoules of primary energy per year,[2] over 20 megawatt hours (MW/h) per person. [57] A green tariff is planned for 2020. Turkey meets a quarter of its energy demand from national resources. The nuclear power debate has a long history, with the 2018 construction start at Akkuyu being the sixth major attempt to build a nuclear power plant since 1960. Of the total 308.5 terawatt-hours of electricity generated in 2019 coal's share was 114.6 terawatt-hours(37%), hydropower 89.2(29%), natural gas 58.1(19%), wind, solar, and geothermal 45.3(15%). [62] Even in cities where natural gas is available the government supports poor households with free coal. [70], Increasing the share of renewable energy could make the country more energy independent and increase employment[71] especially in Turkey's solar PV and solar heating industries. [25] Storage was 7.5% of annual demand in 2018 but being increased and a spot exchange was started in 2018. The older coal-fired power stations also cause local air pollution in Turkey. Without that assistance, this clean technology would not be in place here. However solar power in Turkey and wind power in Turkey are being increased and balanced by the country's existing hydropower. [22] In 2019 the country was almost 40% fossil fuel energy dependant on Russia,[23] 99% of natural gas is imported and 93% of petroleum.
Privatization of the electricity sector started in 1984[6] and began "in earnest" in 2004[7] after the Electricity Market Law was passed in 2001. [63] As of 2018[update] for residential consumers ”high cost is the most important problem of Turkey’s energy system”. [5] The distribution companies are testing mixing hydrogen up to 20% and aim that by the end of 2021 that 6% of the gas distributed will be green hydrogen. [4] This includes using energy efficiently.

A pumped hydropower plant is planned to be completed by 2022. Energy policy is to secure national energy supply[16] and reduce imports,[17] as in 2019 fossil fuel costs were a fifth of Turkey's import bill.

[60] Despite protests against coal power plants[61] Afşin-Elibistan C is being constructed by Turkey's state owned generator and Emba Hunutlu with Chinese finance. [5], State-owned gas-fired power plants are less efficient than private sector ones but can outcompete them because the state guarantees a price for their electricity. [15] A nuclear power plant is under construction. The electricity sector was nationalized in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and by the end of nationalization almost a quarter of the population was supplied with electricity. [44][58][24] There is uncertainty over what will happen when the renewable energy support scheme (YEKDEM) finishes at the end of 2020. [57], Coal in Turkey is heavily subsidized. The Sakharia looms large in the Turkish national psyche. In Ankara, that push is beginning to work. Every year, thousands of people die prematurely from coal-related causes, the most common of which is local air pollution. [74] Future import of gas from Northern Iraq may depend on relationships with the KRG, the central government of Iraq and Rosneft. [31] Up to 150kWh per month free electricity is provided to 2 million poor families. And to safeguard the environment, the river's carp and catfish have a ladder to bypass the dam. [76] The EU might be able to persuade Turkey to cooperate on climate change by supporting policies that reduce the country's external energy dependency in a sustainable manner. Predictions are that future demand will continue at those levels. [113], Almost all oil is imported: mostly from Iraq, Russia and Kazakhstan[114][115] and oil also transits from Azerbaijan. Generating from 1914 Silahtarağa Power Station in Istanbul was the first in the Ottoman Empire, apart from a small hydroelectric power station built in 1902 outside Tarsus in Anatolia. "You can't run the washing, watch the TV, you can't clean, you are nothing!

[24] In the 2010s fossil fuel imports were probably the biggest structural vulnerability of the country's economy:[25] they cost $41 billion in 2019, about a fifth of the total import bill,[26] and were a large part of the 2018 current account deficit[27] and debt problems. [121], Geothermal power in Turkey is used mainly for heating. This was part of the cause of the nationwide blackout in 2015 and therefore policy includes improving electricity transmission. He says, "There's been a rise in the number of bulbs I sell that are longer-lasting. 1 Mtoe = 11.63 TWh, sfnp error: no target: CITEREFGomez_et_al:_Future_skills2019 (, sfnp error: no target: CITEREFErsoy2019 (, sfnp error: no target: CITEREFSaygın_et_al2019 (, Electricity sector in Turkey § Policy and regulation, Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, Electricity sector in Turkey § Economics and finance, Turkey's solar PV and solar heating industries, Historical Tarsus hydroelectric power plant, "Enerji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü - Denge Tabloları", "Energy pricing and non-market flows in Turkey's energy sector", "Turkey's greenhouse gas emissions up 4.4% in 2016", "Who emits more than their share of CO₂ emissions? "The bottom line is for Turkey to produce more goods with less energy, so it can become a global player. [55] However the wholesale gas market is not as competitive as in the EU, as Turkey does not want to split up BOTAŞ or give other power companies in Turkey fair use of BOTAŞ’ pipelines, so has not joined ENTSO-G.[31] With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries. The goals are ambitious—by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Turkey plans to be 20 percent more energy efficient, and have renewables satisfy 30 percent of its energy needs. [26] Production by electric vehicle companies, such as TOGG, may not be enough to avoid the risk to the economy of Turkey of high oil import bills in the mid-2020s.[27].

[5] Greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey are about 6 tons/person year,[6] which is more than the global average. [53][54] In April 2020 the cost of every 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas imported from Russia was US$228 whereas LNG was less than half of that. [62] Although the grid is synchronised with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and linked across most land borders, only about 1% of electricity is imported or exported. [95] And sustainable energy is already 25 percent of the Turkish energy market. [120], Hydroelectricity in Turkey is the largest renewable source of electricity and in 2018 was 9% of primary energy with other renewables at 6%. The World Bank Group works in every major area of development. [25] By 2030, Turkish energy experts say, the country will need an additional $130 billion dollars' worth of energy investment to simply keep up with demand.