Energy Policies and Electrification Goals Statement from Minister Bayraktar
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated that electrification is at the center of the new energy architecture and shared the targets for 2035.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, speaking at the report launch of the International Energy Agency, emphasized that electrification will play a central role in Turkey's new-era energy policies and announced the 2035 targets.
Electrification and 2035 Targets
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated that Turkey fully believes in electrification in the new period and that they will increase this rate in the transportation sector.
Minister Bayraktar noted that they aim to increase the electrification rate in transportation, which is currently below 1 percent, and to have 8 to 10 million electric vehicles on Turkey's roads by 2035.
Core Energy Goals and Plans
It was emphasized that the three main objectives in the Ministry's policies are demand management, reduction of foreign dependency, and the President's 2053 carbon-neutral economy target.
Stating that they want to convey Turkey's new energy architecture on the path to 2040 before COP31, Bayraktar noted that the national energy plan was reviewed this year.
Grid Load and Infrastructure Investments
Drawing attention to the load brought to the grid side by the increase in electricity demand driven by cooling, it was conveyed that works are being carried out in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and nuclear energy.
In addition, it was officially recorded that there is an investment need of 80 billion dollars for transmission and distribution infrastructure by 2035.
Nuclear Energy and the Akkuyu Process
Stating that they want to reach a nuclear capacity of 20 thousand megawatts by 2050, Minister Bayraktar shared their vision in the nuclear field.
He stated that the first reactor of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is currently in the testing process and efforts are being made to catch the schedule to commission it within the next few months.
Measures to Protect Citizens
Regarding the Hormuz crisis, it was stated that the Sliding Scale System (Eşel Mobil Sistemi) and energy subsidies are being decisively maintained in order to protect citizens.
The Ministry stated that they could take new measures to protect citizens depending on global-scale daily developments and market conditions.