Turning the Paris Agreement into a Success Story Globally and in Turkey: The Side Benefits of Decarbonizing Turkey's Electricity System

Executive Summary

The “COBENEFITS Policy Report” titled “Turning the Paris Agreement into a Success Story in the World and in Turkey: The Side Benefits of Decarbonizing Turkey’s Electricity System” was published in August 2021. Turkey is in the midst of an energy transition, with important social and economic implications, depending on the pathways that are chosen. Independence from energy imports; economic prosperity; business and employment opportunities as well as people’s health: through its energy pathway, Turkey will define the basis for its future development. Political decisions on Turkey’s energy future link the missions and mandates of many government ministries beyond energy, such as environment, industrial development, economics, foreign relations, and health. Turkey’s geography and climatic conditions are particularly advantageous for renewable energy generation, with strong potential for hydro, wind, solar and geothermal energy. However, the share of renewables in the energy mix has varied over the past decade in line with the changing water levels in the country’s hydrological basins. Most of the increase in energy demand has been met using fossil energy sources. Turkey’s plan for the next decade includes renewable energy targets for the energy sector, such as increasing solar generating capacity to 15 GW and wind capacity to 17 GW by 2028.