Intending to domestically produce wind turbines and contribute to Türkiye’s path toward increasing renewables’ share in electricity generation, Kalyon Holding has signed a preliminary agreement with defense giant Aselsan, its Chairperson Cemal Kalyoncu said Thursday.

He said they aim to achieve 70% local elements in turbines and that the company plans to establish factories in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and western Izmir province. The first turbines are expected to be installed in two years.

Kalyoncu emphasized that the company is committed to maintaining high standards and quality in wind turbine production, just as they have achieved in solar panel production. He added that the solar panels are produced with 85% domestic content, using local engineers and new technologies.

Before partnering with Aselsan, Kalyoncu said they had explored collaborations with foreign companies, including Siemens. However, the company ultimately decided to produce wind turbines together with Aselsan.

Kalyoncu stated that the wind turbines do not consist of a single piece; they are formed by combining many parts and that the infrastructure in Türkiye is suitable for domestic wind turbine production.

Underlining that in the agreement with Aselsan they will cooperate on the transmission part of the turbine, Kalyoncu said: "We have made a preliminary agreement with Aselsan. We will sign it this week or next week. After that, we aim to produce wind turbines with 70% locality. For this, we will establish factories in Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul. Then, we will have the first turbine installation two years later."

"The gearbox, turbine blade and mast will all be produced in different places. We have an agreement with Aselsan for the main engine transmission point. We will do all the other parts ourselves," he said.

Kalyoncu said that they would continue the world standard they have achieved in the panel regarding turbine capacity and that the turbine capacity will be over 5 megawatts.

Pointing out that the infrastructure facilities for wind equipment production are developed in the cities selected for the factory, Kalyoncu said: "Ankara is the city that stands out in gearbox production, Istanbul and Izmir in terms of the production of other parts. We know that Aselsan is very successful in the field of engineering. The wind turbine gearbox is similar to a helicopter’s gearbox. Aselsan is quite successful in this regard. We will benefit from it," Kalyoncu explained.

Last year was the "year of records" in electricity generation from wind energy in Türkiye, according to previous statements by Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB) head Ibrahim Erden.

He said their priority for 2023 "will be the subject of strong investment together with the industry."

Pointing out that Türkiye is Europe’s most reliable wind energy supply chain partner with an export volume of 1.5 billion euros ($1.60 billion), Erden said: "The year 2022 was a year in which wind-installed power approached the level of 12,000 megawatts. Moreover, in terms of the Turkish wind industry, it was a year in which production records were broken one after the other, and the wind-powered generation daily increased to 25%-27%."

Pointing out that approximately 33 terawatt-hours of the electricity produced in Türkiye come from wind, Erden noted previously: "Last year, we brought a newly installed power of around 1,700 megawatts to our country, but considering our potential, our industry is capable of realizing at least 3 gigawatts of newly installed power per year."

"Our 2023 target is to pave the way for further investments."