Turkey's wind energy capacity to reach 8 GW in 2019

Turkish wind energy installed capacity is expected to reach 8 gigawatts with an addition of 600 megawatts (MW) in 2019, Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB) head said on Friday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in an interview, TÜREB President Mustafa Serdar Ataseven said Turkey's wind energy installed capacity was boosted last year despite the financial difficulties that beset the country, while adding that there is potential to increase this capacity further this year.

Although the association has not yet released wind energy data, investor data furnished from TÜREB shows that Turkey's wind energy is due to be around 7,400 megawatts by the end of 2018.

Ataseven said 2018 was a year for preparation, installation and construction of new wind projects that had been licensed in 2017.

He said that despite Turkey's economic challenges in 2018, the Renewable Energy Resource Zone Project (YEKA) 1 announced new wind energy zones on Sept. 29.

YEKA 1 wind energy projects have been assigned in Turkey's Marmara region - 406 MW in Kırklareli and 294 MW in Edirne. In addition, 160 MW and 90 MW will be located separately in Sivas with 50 MW set for construction in Eskişehir.

The pre-licenses for these YEKA wind projects will be finalized by the end of this year, with plans to become operational in three year's time.

He noted that secondary wind potential areas, not previously awarded in tenders, would also come into play in the future.

Wind energy pre-licenses of 2,130 megawatts were finalized over a five-day period starting on Dec. 25. These pre-license tenders were issued to 32 different projects in four regions throughout Turkey.

Based on the success of Turkey's first YEKA, which launched the wind energy tenders in Turkey, Ataseven disclosed that construction would start for a wind turbine factory in the Aegean region to meet growing domestic and international demand.

A Siemens Gamesa - Türkerler - Kalyon consortium won the first 1,000-megawatt wind tender offered by Turkey's Renewable Energy Resources Zone Project in August 2017.

The tender stipulated that the winning consortium would construct a wind turbine factory in Turkey in the following 21 months, following the signing of the agreement.