Wind power plants capacity up by 11.65 percent

According to data released by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company, the amount of electricity generated by wind power plants in Turkey last year reached 8,366,804-megawatt-hours, marking an 11.65 percent increase when compared to the previous year. Turkey has begun reaping the benefits of recent investments made in domestic and renewable energy resources.

This increase has also enabled an $850 million decrease in natural gas imports. In 2013, wind power plants produced 7,494,049-megawatt hours of electricity, corresponding to 2.8 percent of Turkey's total electricity production. With the introduction of new investments last year and a capacity increase, the amount of electricity generated by wind power plants increased by 872,755 megawatt hours compared to 2013, raising its share to 3.3 percent of Turkey's total electricity production. This upsurge also contributed significantly to a decrease in Turkey's energy imports and current account deficit.

Turkey implements incentive programs for wind power plants, as a part of energy production based on renewable sources. Turkey pays $0.07 per kilowatt-hour for wind power plants, and the government is aiming for the installed capacity of wind power plants to reach 20,000 megawatts by 2023.