Turkey Balances Green Ambitions with Aggressive Fossil Fuel Expansion

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed that the government plans to allocate $80 billion specifically for generation and another $28 billion for transmission infrastructure under the Renewable Energy 2035 Road Map. The state aims to meet 35% of its total energy demand through electricity by 2035, a shift officials argue will protect industries and households from price shocks. This transition is framed as a matter of national security, intended to reduce reliance on imported energy sources.

Despite these green targets, Turkey continues to expand its oil and gas footprint through the state-owned TPAO. The company maintains operations at the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea and holds exploration interests in Pakistan, Libya, and Somalia. These efforts are part of a broader ambition to establish Turkey as a critical regional gas hub for Europe. While the country has successfully quadrupled its total electricity capacity since 2001, reaching 126,000 megawatts, coal remains a significant pillar of the power mix at 34%. By maintaining investments in both renewable infrastructure and fossil fuel extraction, Ankara is mirroring an all-of-the-above security strategy, prioritizing constant baseload availability alongside its push for carbon-neutral generation.