Türkiye Electricity Review 2026

In 2025, wind and solar energy reached a record 22% of Türkiye's electricity generation, though coal remained the largest source at 34%. While the country has a massive 33 GW battery project pipeline that exceeds any single EU nation, it still trails European averages for renewable energy share. Persistent drought has significantly reduced hydroelectric output, increasing reliance on natural gas imports by an estimated $1.8 billion annually. A new purchase guarantee for domestic coal plants starting in 2026 may further increase coal generation, potentially contradicting the country's 2035 target of 120 GW of wind and solar capacity.

• Wind and solar energy reached a record 22% of Türkiye's electricity generation in 2025, with solar generation doubling from 18.4 TWh in 2023 to 37.3 TWh in 2025. Despite this growth, Türkiye ranks 16th among 24 high-generating European countries for renewable energy share, though it leads peers in the Middle East, Caucasus, and Central Asia.
• Coal was the largest power source in 2025 at 34% of generation, with approximately two-thirds of this production relying on imports. While generation declined slightly to 121 TWh in 2025 from 122 TWh in 2024, a purchase guarantee for domestic coal plants starting in 2026 (set at 75 USD/MWh) may increase utilisation and lead to new records in coal generation.
• Long-term drought has caused a persistent decline in hydroelectric generation; the average annual production of the Atatürk, Karakaya, and Keban dams was 29% lower over the last decade than in 1996–2005. This shortfall is compensated by natural gas, resulting in an average annual increase of $1.8 billion in fossil gas imports.
• Türkiye has developed a 33 GW battery project pipeline, which is larger than that of any individual EU country (Germany and Italy are the next largest at 12-13 GW). However, these projects typically feature short storage durations of around one hour, whereas the global average in 2025 was 2.5 hours.
• To reach its 2035 target of 120 GW of wind and solar capacity, Türkiye needs to add 8 GW annually, exceeding the 6.5 GW record achieved in 2025. This expansion requires an estimated $28 billion in additional grid investment.

APA

Alparslan, U. (2026). Türkiye Electricity Review 2026. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Turkiye-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf

Chicago

Alparslan, Ufuk. Türkiye Electricity Review 2026. Ember, 2026. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Turkiye-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alparslan |first1=Ufuk |title=Türkiye Electricity Review 2026 |publisher=Ember |date=8 April 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Turkiye-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alparslan2026trkiye, author = {Alparslan, Ufuk}, title = {{Türkiye Electricity Review 2026}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Turkiye-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }