The technical groundwork for Türkiye's inaugural offshore wind power plant is set to commence in 2024, an industry official said Monday, part of the efforts to utilize clean energy sources to curb the country's heavy external dependency.
The field sizes for offshore wind energy plants were determined in August as part of the Renewable Energy Resource Area (YEKA) framework, paving the way for technical studies to begin in 2024, said Murat Durak, chair of the board of the Offshore Wind Energy Association (DÜRED).
Türkiye has been a prominent advocate of reducing fossil fuel emissions while developing renewable energy supplies in recent years.
It has managed to increase overall electricity generation while simultaneously cutting coal generation thanks to an aggressive rise in clean power deployment from wind, solar and hydro installations.
The country currently boasts more than 106,000 megawatts in installed electricity capacity, compared to 32,000 megawatts in 2002, according to the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
The share of renewable energy in the country's total installed power capacity has reached 55%, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said last week.
Türkiye ranks first in geothermal energy installed capacity, second in hydroelectric power, seventh in wind power and eighth in solar energy installed capacity in Europe, according to Bayraktar.
Türkiye has an ambitious plan to triple its renewable energy capacity by 2053 as it strives to become a carbon-neutral economy.
Bayraktar said the country planned to add about 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind power to its energy portfolio in the coming years.
Highlighting that Türkiye imports over two-thirds of its energy needs, DÜRED's Durak emphasized the necessity for the country to enhance its supply security and diversify its domestic resources.
Durak recalled the designated YEKA areas for Türkiye's offshore wind energy projects, specifying, "Areas of 1,111 square kilometers off Bandırma, 299 square kilometers off Bozcaada, 75.6 square kilometers off Gelibolu and 410 square kilometers off the coast of Karabiga have been allocated for offshore wind energy."
Meteorological and oceanographic analyses, along with measurements forming preliminary feasibility studies, will be conducted in specific areas after gathering opinions from relevant institutions for the allocated sites.
"Technical studies in the seas can start in 2024. The Renewable Energy Resources Support Mechanism (YEKDEM) base price for offshore wind power plant projects is set at 6.75 cents/dollar per kilowatt-hour, with a ceiling price of 8.25 cents/dollar," said Durak.
Moreover, he informed the implementation period for YEKDEM is 10 years, while the domestic contribution price for these facilities is regulated over five years.
Growing interest
Durak pointed out high-potential regions for both floating and fixed installations in Türkiye.
"In the Black Sea, 13.9 gigawatts for floating installations and 1.3 gigawatts for fixed installations have been identified. In the Marmara Sea, there is a potential of 19.2 gigawatts for floating installations and 2.8 gigawatts for fixed installations," he noted.
Indicating the goal of achieving 5 gigawatts of offshore wind installation by 2035, Durak added that the total wind capacity target was 29.6 gigawatts.
Drawing attention to global goals in offshore wind energy, Durak remarked that offshore accounted for 10% of the total wind power capacity that was taken online worldwide in 2019.
He said this figure is expected to reach 20% after 2025, noting that the global offshore wind power capacity is envisaged to reach 460 gigawatts by 2030.