Türkiye unveils 7 GW offshore wind roadmap by 2024

Türkiye could install up to 7 GW by 2040 according to World Bank analysis.

The World Bank Group, in collaboration Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, has launched an offshore wind roadmap for the country.

The government has set a target of 5GW of installed capacity for offshore wind power by 2035.

Turkey’s waters have areas with a total technical potential offshore wind resource estimated at 75GW and the roadmap outlines the chance for up to 7GW of offshore wind capacity to be installed by 2040.

It also examines the challenges of realising these prospects.

Most areas with good offshore wind resources are suited to floating foundations solutions, given water depths exceed 50 metres.

These areas also have significant environmental and social sensitivities, requiring offshore wind projects to carefully plan and mitigate impacts on protected areas, biodiversity, critical habitats and local communities.

The scenarios in the report illustrate two hypothetical development paths for the sector in Turkey.

In low growth, which assumes 3.5GW of offshore wind power is installed by the end of 2040, it is estimated that by 2030 supply chain activities could create 32,000 FTE (full time equivalent) jobs years and contribute $4bn to the economy.

The low growth scenario could be achieved with moderate action by the government, focusing on the first few small-scale projects.

In high growth, which assumes 7GW of offshore wind power is installed by the end of 2040, it is estimated supply chain activities could create 110,000 FTE years and $16bn gross value added to Turkey’s economy.

To achieve these scenarios, the roadmap highlights 21 recommended actions for the Turkish government to consider.

This includes setting the country’s vision beyond 2035 as part of long-term energy system planning; implementing regulatory and policy frameworks which proactively de-risk projects; establishing a bankable power purchase agreement (PPA); introducing best-practice health and safety standards; upgrading grid and port infrastructure; and development of domestic supply chains.

The publication was launched at the ‘Türkiye Offshore Wind Conference: Roadmap and Next Steps’ event hosted in Istanbul by the World Bank in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

The country’s strong industrial base and skilled workforce, particularly its successful onshore wind, shipbuilding and maritime industries, are well-positioned to thrive in the offshore wind supply chain with sufficient project volume and pipeline.

As part of the next steps forward, the World Bank is now supporting the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to implement the ‘Türkiye – European Union Instrument for PreAccession Energy Sector Program Phase IV Project – Offshore Wind Support’.

The objective of this project is to assist Türkiye to improve the investment potential for offshore wind energy generation by de-risking selected sites and reinforcing institutional capacities via measurement campaigns as well as providing technical, environmental, and social analysis.

Co-lead of the World Bank Offshore Wind Development Program Sean Whittaker said: “The roadmap provides key recommendations to fully realise this new source of domestic renewable energy, including policy development and planning for a pipeline of bankable projects which carefully mitigate environmental and social impacts.”