Turkey has announced plans to increase renewable energy use by 2035, but other aspects of its energy strategy remain under criticism, including continued investment in coal-fueled and nuclear power plants.

A National Energy Plan released last month outlines targets in the energy sector by 2035, which, according to the Energy Ministry, are in line with Turkey’s goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2053. According to the plan, electrical energy would account for 25% of Turkey’s energy consumption by 2035, up from 21.8% in 2020, while the share of renewable sources in the installed power capacity would increase to nearly 65% from 52% in 2020.

Turkey’s installed power capacity, which stood at 95.9 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2020, would reach nearly 190 GW by 2035, and three-fourths of the new power capacity would be derived from renewable energy sources — a target welcomed by advocates of clean energy. Under the plan, coal- and gas-fired thermal plans would account for 34.2% of electricity generation by 2035, down from 57.6% in 2020. Critics, however, see the decrease as insufficient, with plans for a second nuclear power plant adding to their concerns. The share of renewable energy sources, they believe, could be increased further and in a shorter time.

How Turkey meets its energy needs is crucial for its economy, which is heavily reliant on imported oil and gas and is thus highly vulnerable to global price volatilities. The spike in oil and gas prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing supply problems after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have come as stern reminders that the country should minimize its dependency on imported energy and speed up its “green transition” by expanding investment in renewable sources.