Mehmet Fatih Kacır, the Minister of Industry and Technology, stated during the opening ceremony of the Ampherr Battery Technologies Factory in Tuzla that they are pleased to take a step closer to Turkey’s goal of becoming a production hub for critical technologies in line with the National Technology Move vision.
Amidst multidimensional crises such as wars, pandemics, and climate change faced by the world, Kacır pointed out that Turkey continues its development journey without slowing down, emphasizing that the country’s economy has been continuously growing under industrial leadership for the past 14 quarters.
“We are focusing on new initiatives that will accelerate our development in investment, employment, production, innovation, and export,” said Minister Kacır, highlighting the strong political will, stable state policies, and prioritization of national and original products in R&D and investment planning as the background to this successful growth momentum.
“With the robust R&D and innovation ecosystem we have built in the last 22 years, our manufacturing industry has become more competitive and innovative. It has become an indispensable player in the global value chain with the products and services it offers in critical and advanced technology areas,” Kacır said, adding that they aim to strengthen the country’s self-sufficiency in critical technologies by adding new success stories to the National Technology Move in the Century of Turkey, focusing on new initiatives that will accelerate development in investment, employment, production, innovation, and export.
“Our defense industry products, which are the envy of the world, are the finest examples of this effort,” he said.
Kacır stated that they have proven in the defense industry how innovative and disruptive technologies can create an opportunity window in Turkey’s development journey when focused on at the right time, adding that they have seen a similar opportunity window in the mobility sector.
“We aim to increase the share of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles to 35% by 2030,” he said.
Highlighting the transformation in the automotive sector, which is the locomotive position of Turkey’s industry with an annual production approaching 1.5 million and exports exceeding 35 billion dollars, Kacır emphasized that rapid urbanization, digitalization, experience-oriented customer trends, and high-speed communication redefine the sector’s direction.
“In the mobility sector, where we have accelerated the transformation with our new generation electric, autonomous, and connected car Togg, understanding and defining the perspective drawn by new trends are vital for our country’s competitive and sustainable production infrastructure,” said Kacır, continuing:
“With our Mobility Vehicle and Technologies Roadmap, we have shared with the public, we have materialized all the steps we will take in the mobility sector, from electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles to test centers, from battery production to innovative energy technologies. In line with this understanding, we aim to increase the market share of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles to 35% in our country by 2030 and increase our domesticity rate in these vehicles to 75%.”
“We consider battery and energy storage technologies as a strategic area”
Emphasizing that they consider battery and energy storage technologies as a strategic area to achieve all the goals they set in the fields of mobility and innovative technology, Kacır reminded that global electric vehicle sales are increasing and carbon-neutral technologies that will reduce the effects of climate change are becoming widespread.
Kacır stated that the focus on investments in battery and energy storage technologies has also increased significantly, saying:
“While the global battery production capacity is at the level of 2.6 terawatt-hours today, it is estimated that this figure will reach 3.5 times, or 9 terawatt-hours by 2030. In this context, we want to strengthen our country’s position in the battery supply chain and make Turkey a ‘regional battery production hub.’ In line with this goal, we are accelerating our investments, prioritizing the development and production of battery and energy storage technologies. In this context, we support 16 of our companies, including the factory we opened today, with our incentive system, which will provide additional employment for nearly 6,000 people and whose fixed investment amount has reached 78 billion liras so far.”
“I would like to announce the good news of implementing a new incentive program”
Stating that they have initiated 4 investments and R&D projects worth 3 billion liras in energy storage and battery technologies with the mobility call of the Technology-Oriented Industry Move Program, Kacır also stated that they have supported 316 projects with 752 scientists and researchers in the field of energy storage and battery technologies in the last 5 years with TÜBİTAK Scholarship and Support Programs, providing 1.6 billion liras in support.
In addition, stating that they will continue to strengthen Turkey’s position in the battery supply chain with the production and planning of critical raw materials and minerals for battery production, Kacır said, “We will turn our country into one of the global mega investment centers in innovative technology areas such as battery and energy storage technologies. In order to do this, I would like to announce the good news of implementing a new incentive program in the upcoming period.”
“We will gradually reach an additional battery production capacity of 2 gigawatt-hours”
Selman Tosunoğlu, the CEO of Ampherr Battery Technologies, Ahu Serter, the Chairman of Fark Holding’s Board of Directors, and Albert Saydam, the President of TAYSAD, also made speeches at the program.
After the speeches, Selman Tosunoğlu presented a plaque to Minister Kacır.
Following the ribbon-cutting and group photo, Minister Kacır and the guests toured the newly opened factory.
source: aa.com.tr/ prepared by Melisa Beğiç