Turkey's Sabanci Holding plans future renewables investments in line with Turkey’s goals of increasing the share of renewables for power generation, the energy group president of the conglomerate said on Thursday.
'We have a very balanced portfolio of electricity generation which overlaps with Turkey’s [energy mix]. We anticipate that Turkey's energy growth will mostly come from renewables and thus we plan all subsequent investments in renewables,” Kivanc Zaimler told Anadolu Agency’s Energy Desk.
Having already invested in wind plants of 565 megawatts, Zaimler said Sabanci Holding envisages renewables as its main future growth area.
He said the renewables sector, which is underpinned by the United Nations’ sustainability goals, including carbon-neutrality and reduction of carbon footprint, is important for the increase in energy efficiency, the strengthening of grids, and for the creation of new employment opportunities throughout the world.
However, he stressed that the most important issue in the energy sector is to ensure predictability. He cited the example of the elimination of power cuts due to weather conditions thanks to the diversified energy sources, which he said are also in line with the UN’s sustainability goals.
He said the company’s investment for the 2016-2020 period surpassed the previous estimates, recording a 40% increase to 12 billion Turkish liras.
The increase in the company’s investments were all allocated for the growth of its network, Zaimler said, adding the company plans to invest 15 billion liras in the electricity distribution sector during the 2021-2025 period.
“The need in rural areas is especially high,” he explained.
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr