Turkey to Continue Energy Investments

Istanbul, Turkey | November 28, 2008 by D-8 Secretariat

Turkey will continue to invest in renewable energy

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Güler said yesterday that despite the economic crisis, Turkey will continue to invest in energy, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Speaking at the Wind Energy Workshop, jointly organized by SenterNovem — a Dutch government agency developing sustainable energy — and the Wind Power and Hydropower Plants Businessmen’s Association (RESSİAD) in Ankara, Güler said there was room for cooperation in the area of renewable energy between Turkey and Netherlands. The minister noted that by 2020, Turkey is planning to have built wind turbines with a capacity of around 20,000 megawatts (MW).

“We also need 500 kilowatt [kW] wind turbines for domestic use, which can be installed without any permission, as well as 2.5 MW turbines. We can work together with Netherlands in this area. We are expecting a long-term commitment from them,” he said. Güler said they also wanted to make a big leap in other renewable energy resources like solar power. “Turkey has great potential for solar energy.

The minister asserted that Turkey’s energy needs were increasing by 8 to 8.5 percent annually and that they had completed the legal framework to allow for further investments. He said Turkey’s investment in the energy sector would continue despite the financial crisis. Also speaking at the workshop, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade Frank Heemskerk said his country had vast experience in the technical and legal aspects of renewable energy. He stated that they were ready to share their knowledge with Turkey.

As a response to the global financial turmoil, D-8 Organization has been seeking ways to increase further investment and industry expansion in the member countries. D-8 has organized and discussed this issues in WG for Industry and WG for Energy earlier in Egypt and Indonesia.

D-8 Secretary General, Dipo Alam, said that Turkey has set itself as example for the other member countries in D-8 on how to handle the financial crisis. “Turkey has taken concrete steps to face the turmoil, and we hope that our other member countries will also formulate their steps too,” he said in his office.

News Contributor: TodaysZaman

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