Turkey Begins Issuing Licenses for Private Wind Energy Operators

Turkey will soon have a number of wind power generating farms. Taking its first step in granting licenses for wind power generation, the Energy Market Regulatory Agency, (EMRA) of the country, provided permission to Tektug, a Turkish Power Company, to install a 25 MW wind power generation facility.

The power generated from the wind energy firm can meet the power requirements of nearly 7,500 households. Earlier in 2007, when EMRA announced its intentions to grant permission for wind power generation it received 751 applications from prospective wind power developers. Since the country was not ready with the required regulatory changes, the applications were kept pending. The country currently has formed the required regulations and is anticipated to grant permissions to 27 projects valued to generate 1,343 MW with an investment of 2.7 to 3.2 billion Turkish liras.

Hasan Köktas, Chief of EMRA, in an earlier issued statement said that the country currently generates 1,200 MW through wind energy and said that the year 2011 will call for more private investments in wind energy sector.

www.epdk.gov.tr/