Turkey's private electricity market has provided more than 100,000 jobs along with investment over $1 billion up to 2015, the country's energy minister said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference of Turkey's Energy Foundation, Energy Minister Ali Riza Alaboyun said the private sector's share in the electricity market reached 100 percent after all 21 electricity distribution companies were privatized by 2013. The privatized electricity distribution sector has paid $760 million in taxes so far, he said.
'With the ministry's successful policies, energy investments have been made by the private sector with no burden on the public budget,' Alaboyun said.
He said the country's installed electricity generation capacity has more than doubled in last 13 years, increasing to 72,000 megawatts from 31,846 megawatts. In 2002, the public share in the electricity sector was 71.7 percent, with a 32 percent share from the private sector.
'The private sector replaced the government's share over 13 years,' he said.
Additionally over the last 15 years, wind energy capacity reached 4,000 megawatts from 20 megawatts, while the share of renewable sources; wind, geothermal and biomass, have climbed to over 5 percent in the total electricity generation, Alaboyun said.
'In the forthcoming period, integrating mines to the energy system is another must to increase the share of national sources in energy production,' Alaboyun commented.
Reporting by Muhsin Baris Tiryakioglu
Writing by Ugur Serhan Ozcan
Anadolu Agency
ugur.ozcan@aa.com.tr