Wind becomes largest source of electricity for 1st time in Turkey

Wind power became the largest source of electricity generation for the first time in the country's history with a 22.6% share on Nov. 28, according to the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAŞ) on Monday.

Wind power plants generated 178,964 megawatt-hours (MWh) out of a total of 791,794 MWh of daily electricity output.

Turkey's installed wind power capacity reached 10,585 megawatts (MW), making it the second-largest renewable capacity after hydropower.

Natural gas power plants followed with a 22% share of electricity generation on Sunday, with imported coal power plants ranking third with a 17.8% share.

Most recently on Nov. 11, electricity production from wind power hit a daily record, generating 20.1% of total power.

The over 10,00 MW threshold of installed wind energy, although a major milestone in the country's green energy push, still falls behind hydroelectricity, which is currently the leader in Turkey's clean energy installed power.

Turkey has prioritized the security of its energy supply as one of the central pillars of its energy strategy, leading to efforts to boost investments in the clean energy sector.

Turkey has seen considerable diversification of its energy mix in the past decade, in particular through the growth of renewable electricity generation.

Turkey's wind capacity and equipment production has grown to the extent that it now ranks as one of the 10 biggest markets globally.

Growth in this sector has already seen Turkey become the fifth-biggest equipment producer in Europe last year. And this growth has also helped Turkey expand its exports to 45 countries on six continents.

Of the 77 wind equipment producers in Turkey, 70% generate their revenues from equipment exports.

Turkey ranked among the top five European countries that invested the most in wind energy with its over 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) of land wind energy investments in 2020, according to WindEurope, the association that advocates for wind energy in Europe and around the globe.