Saudi Arabia Backs Turkey’s Rapid Renewable Energy Buildout

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have announced ambitious plans to cooperate on renewable energy, as both countries aim to deploy vast amounts of clean power. Saudi Arabia has already invested heavily in Turkey’s solar power sector and aims to deepen its energy partnership with Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey is also continuing to expand its oil and gas production and discussing the potential for new energy routes linking the Middle East and Europe.Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement to add a further 3 GW of renewable energy capacity in Turkey, bringing the country’s total planned capacity to 5 GW, Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced in August. Bayraktar emphasised that Turkey has “almost accomplished a century’s worth of work” under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership, with major progress in renewable energy.Turkey has “quadrupled its installed electricity capacity, from 32,000 megawatts to 126,000 megawatts,” said Bayraktar, adding that the country had commissioned around 95 GW of new capacity over the past 24 years. Turkey now has Europe’s third-largest installed electricity capacity and consumption, after France and Germany.Oil production has also tripled, while natural gas output has increased ninefold, and mineral exports have risen tenfold, according to Bayraktar. The massive rise in energy production, both fossil fuels and renewables, supports Turkey’s goal of becoming self-sufficient. The government has set ambitious energy targets for the next decade to help achieve this goal.Domestic natural gas production in the Black Sea is set to double in 2026 and quadruple by 2028. Bayraktar views the ongoing crisis in the Middle East as an opportunity for Turkey to establish itself as a major energy hub between the Middle East and Europe, as countries seek to diversify energy routes to ensure their energy security. Accelerating the development of alternative new energy corridors could help the Middle East prepare for potential future geopolitical challenges.In February, Saudi Arabia announced plans to invest $2 billion in the construction of two solar farms in Turkey, with a total capacity of 2 GW, following the signing of an agreement between Bayraktar and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The two plants are expected to meet the electricity needs of 2.1 million households once operational.The deal states that Saudi companies will build a solar power plant in the eastern province of Sivas and another in the central province of Karaman. Bayraktar stated, “We view these investments as one of the most important examples of direct foreign investment in our energy sector, and they will be financed entirely through external financing. Credit will also be provided by international financial institutions.”Hydropower remains Turkey’s largest renewable electricity source, contributing around 17 per cent of total electricity in 2025, while wind and solar account for around 22 per cent. Turkey has a total of 42 GW wind and solar power capacity. However, the country still relies heavily on coal, which contributed around 34 per cent of Turkey’s electricity last year. It is the largest coal producer in Europe, although its coal power is expected to peak soon as the government focuses on greater energy diversification. Turkey imports around two-thirds of its coal generation.Turkey’s power sector emissions have nearly doubled over the last 20 years, owing to a rise in fossil fuel electricity production to meet the country’s rising power demand. However, the increase in Turkey’s renewable energy capacity has helped limit this increase. Solar power generation doubled between 2023 and 2025, although it contributes just 10.5 per cent of electricity generation. The government aims for 47 per cent of Turkey’s electricity to be produced from renewable energy sources by the end of the decade.In July, Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced the launch of solar and wind power auctions totalling 2.4 GW, with 1.5 GW available across seven wind power projects – six located between Istanbul and Izmir, and Sivas in central Turkey. The solar energy auctions total 900 MW altogether across 14 areas in nine provinces. The bids for the 2026 round must be submitted on October 13.Bayraktar stressed that the government aims to offer at least 2 GW of wind and solar capacity through auctions each year and vowed that Turkey would achieve its 2035 target of 120 GW of combined capacity on the grid earlier. He also said he expects solar to become the largest electricity source in the country by the end of the year.Turkey aims to achieve its ambitious energy expansion plans by working closely with international investors and neighbouring countries to accelerate development. The government expects Turkey to become a major energy hub between the Middle East and Europe in the coming decades, attracting significant international investment as countries seek to diversify their energy routes to ensure their energy security.By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.comMore Top Reads From Oilprice.comU.S. In Talks To Take Direct Ownership Of Venezuelan Oil FieldsAramco Finds a New Way to Keep Saudi Crude Flowing to ChinaMIT Uses AI to Challenge a Century-Old Process for Mass Ammonia Production