Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir said that Turkiye is number one in Europe and fourth in the world in solar panel production, and that they aim to be second in the world for Turkiye in a short time.
Emphasizing that Turkiye has made tremendous investments in renewable energy in the last 20 years, Kacir said, “Today, 55% of the installed capacity in Turkiye consists of renewable energy plants.”
Reminding that the Minister of Energy has prepared a plan to add 5 gigawatts every year until 2035, especially in solar and wind, Kacir said, “In this context, we attach great importance not only to the installation of renewable energy power plants but also to the strengthening of our industry in these areas.”
“We are number one in Europe and fourth in the world in solar panel production. The goal is for Turkiye to be second in the world in a short time.” Kacir said that they also produced solar cells in Turkiye with the infrastructure built in recent years.
Minister Kacir said, “The EU does not have a solar panel production alternative other than Turkiye. We are currently fourth in Europe in terms of wind turbines. Our wind turbine manufacturers have a business volume approaching €2 billion annually.”
Pointing out that EU countries are increasingly having difficulty in competing with the Far East in wind turbines, Kacir explained that in the early days, the scale provided by Europe with its own domestic markets and the fact that China focused entirely on its own domestic market gave EU companies some relief in terms of competition.
Kacir said, “But now China has a production surplus in many sectors and there is a slowdown in its domestic market. This puts companies in EU member countries in terms of competition.”
Wind infrastructure will become even stronger
Kacir stated that currently almost all wind turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have invested in Turkiye or started working with stakeholders. “We want to strengthen the infrastructure we have established in Turkiye. In other words, a tremendous infrastructure cluster has been created in Turkiye, especially in Izmir and the Aegean Region, in the production of towers, blades and generators.”
Minister Kacir pointed out that they will take important steps to increase their production capabilities for offshore wind turbines by accelerating investments in the coming period.
Positive steps towards Turkiye will bring benefits to the EU
Explaining that all these steps actually reveal Turkiye’s main direction regarding carbon neutral targets, Kacir said, “It is very important that the EU treats Turkiye fairly. Turkiye is not a third country for the EU. Turkiye is the essential element of the EU value chain. Therefore, positive steps regarding Turkiye in border carbon regulations, other trade regulations and investment decisions, and financing areas will benefit the EU. Rest assured, if it provides one benefit for Turkiye, it will provide two benefits for the EU.”
Kacir noted that the EU needs Turkiye very strongly in international competition and said, “Therefore, we hope that we will see a fairer, more open and more positive approach in all these processes, especially the Customs Union revision. The EU’s need for Turkiye is felt more and more day by day.”
On the other hand, China is the world’s largest solar panel producer country. More than half of the world’s solar panels are produced in China.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz