Türkiye has been a reliable partner to Europe in the wind energy industry, EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said on Wednesday, underlining that many European firms are producing equipment in the country.
At the event, hosted in Brussels by European Parliament member Ryszard Czarnecki with representatives from WindEurope and the Turkish Wind Energy Association attending, Simson said Türkiye has ambitious plans for domestic wind development, including offshore wind technologies, describing the Turkish market as important for EU manufacturers.
Most of the world relies on China as a single supply source for solar PV manufacturing, she said, underlining that this was desirable for neither Türkiye nor EU countries.
'With all this in mind, yesterday, the Commission adopted a new wind package. The package sets out six categories of action to provide relief, support, and boost the wind industry,' Simson said.
Noting that most wind turbines installed in Türkiye are produced by EU manufacturers, she declared: 'We stand ready to work with our Turkish partners to overcome existing challenges, facilitate the deployment of wind energy, and scale up manufacturing capacity, ensuring that our supply chains are well integrated and complementary.'
- Wind energy boom critical for Europe
Also attending the event, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said it was time for Europe to diversify the supply chain in wind energy and act with other countries, including Türkiye, to revitalize the sector.
Birol said long-term solutions needed to be altered to ensure that energy costs and fossil fuels like oil become outdated alternatives for energy security.
Boosting wind is of critical importance for Europe's energy security, industry, and the climate, Birol stressed.
- Türkiye to add 40,000 MW wind by 2025
For his part, Turkish Wind Energy Association President Ibrahim Erden said Türkiye generated about 11% of its electricity from wind, adding that at 12 gigawatts installed capacity, it was in sixth place in Europe.
Noting that Türkiye exports 75% of the equipment it produces, Erden said: 'We expect our wind energy installed power to reach 40,000 megawatts by 2025.'
He added that new licenses in the sector would play a role in boosting capacity, while Türkiye also aims 'to implement projects in offshore wind energy.'
Reporting by Nuran Erkul Kaya in Brussels
Writing by Duygu Alhan and Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
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