Türkiye is working on an "Industry Master Plan," which will spread industrial zones across the country and open the path for rapid industrialization, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said Tuesday.

"The Master Plan will increase industrial zones twofold in the next five years and to 1% of the country’s surface area in 10 years. We will establish production and employment corridors," the minister told Ankara bureau chiefs of news outlets in the capital.

He reiterated that while Türkiye had 192 organized industrial zones in 2002 with a 415,000-strong employment force and 48,000 hectares of area, the number has increased currently to 360 zones and 115,000 hectares.

"With our new generation industry policy, we will witness new successes. The rate of the industry in the national income is increasing," Kacır underlined.

Meanwhile, the green transition of industry zones is also being worked on simultaneously. In accordance with Türkiye’s 2053 net-zero emission goals, the ministry is presenting several incentive mechanisms, including sectoral road maps and access to international financing.

Another pressing field in terms of the industry sector is the redevelopment of industrial zones in the earthquake area. Through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB), $590 million (TL 17.66 billion) of support was provided for these businesses with zero interest and no payment in the first 24 months. So far, 39,680 businesses have taken advantage of the program.

On Feb. 6, 2023, twin major quakes shook southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria, killing more than 50,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

"With our central programs for regional development, we directed our projects with international funds to earthquake provinces. We put into effect an urgent action plan for regional development for these areas and provided TL 770 million as a financial source for 51 projects. Forty-nine other projects worth TL 26 million are continuing for industrial sites and organized industrial zones," the minister pointed out.

National space initiative

The minister also touched upon Türkiye’s first manned space mission, which is scheduled to embark for the International Space Station at 1:11 a.m. local time on Jan. 18 (10:11 p.m. GMT on Jan. 17).

He explained that their primary focus lies in harnessing the potential of big data to generate value, thereby extending support to projects aimed at fostering innovative products and services across diverse sectors encompassing agriculture, energy, health care and transportation. The Ax-3 crew will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket inside a Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch aligns with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ambitious 10-year space road map he announced in February 2021. It includes missions to the moon, sending Turkish astronauts into space and developing internationally viable satellite systems.

The country established the Turkish Space Agency, or TUA, in 2018, with the aim of joining a handful of other countries with space programs.

The minister said Türkiye will host the world’s biggest space congress, the International Astronautical Congress, in southern Antalya province in 2026.

Kacır also introduced the coat of arms for Turkish astronauts, which includes the designation of the 100th year of the Turkish republic, the country seen in turquoise color on the world map, as well as 16 stars in space that signify 16 Turkic states of the past.

TOGG to enter int’l market

The minister also said that Türkiye's first domestically made car, Togg, which was one of the main technological projects of last year, will be encouraged in the global market and especially the European one as of the end of this year.

Reiterating that the car started being delivered in May 2023, he said that it is currently the leading electrical vehicle in Türkiye as well as the most preferred car in the SUV segment.

Kacır said that three times more Toggs will be produced this year compared to last year. The goal is to start the sale of the Sedan model of Togg in 2025, he added. Togg is currently producing a fully electric C-segment SUV at its plant in the northwestern Bursa province. There are more than 15,000 T10Xs on the roads across Türkiye.

"We have established a monitoring mechanism for Togg that focuses on a road map for the brand and its technological and innovation development for the upcoming period," Kacır said, hinting also that Togg could engage in new automotive technologies in the future such as driverless cars. Moreover, he said that experienced engineers from Türkiye’s defense industry have been asked to work on new technologies and solutions for the company.

2024 goals

For 2024, the minister elaborated that Türkiye will focus on 5G telecommunications technologies, batteries, solar energy technologies, wind turbines, high-speed trains, biotechnological medication, smart medical devices, industrial robots, technological food and new-generation satellite technologies.

Türkiye has managed to increase its overall power generation while simultaneously cutting coal use thanks to an aggressive rise in clean power deployment from wind, solar and hydro installations.

The country has an ambitious plan to triple its renewable energy capacity by 2053 as it strives to become a carbon-neutral economy. About 55% of its installed power capacity is currently derived from renewable energy sources. The rate makes it fifth in Europe and 12th in the world. Kacır said that Türkiye also plans to work on its first national brand for wind turbines. Moreover, currently ranking fourth globally, it plans to become second in the world in solar panel production in the upcoming period.

He said that the focus points and future projects will also continue in areas in which Türkiye has taken strong steps in the past few years such as the defense industry, space technologies and its first car.

"Technology-based initiatives will be the locomotive of the economy, while we will draw international investment for key technologies," Kacır pointed out, giving the examples of chips, electrical vehicles and petrochemicals.