Energy in Turkey

Turkey's electricity consumption increased by 19.2 percent in May, compared to the same month of 2020, according to the latest data released by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.

The country's power consumption reached 24.78 billion kilowatt-hours last month and electricity production also increased by 20.3 percent to 24.90 billion kilowatt-hours compared to May 2020.

Turkey has discovered 135 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 4.

Turkey has ramped up exploration for oil and gas off its coasts in recent years.

Turkey's electricity consumption increased by 27.1 percent in April, compared to the same month of 2020, according to the latest data released by Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.

Turkey's well tests for three wells in the offshore Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea are set to begin in May, the first of which will begin in the Türkali-2 well, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on April 20.

With preparation ongoing to commission the first reactor for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in southern Mersin province in 2023, Turkish engineers, who received their training in Russia for more than six years, have started to work at the power plant.

While 35 graduates out of 50 Turkish engineers started their duties, 43 more graduates are expected to be employed this year.

Turkey's energy import bill decreased by 12.2 percent to $2.75 billion in February this year compared to the same month last year, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute on March 31.

The overall energy import bill fell last month with an increase in the country's domestic and renewable energy production.

Wind's share in Turkey's monthly electricity generation passed 10 percent threshold for the first time in January, the energy and natural resources minister said on Feb. 23.

"The wind blows with records in 2021," Fatih Dönmez said in a tweet.

Power generation through wind turbines rose to more than 10 percent for the first time in Turkey's history, he added.

Turkey will start using gas from the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea in the first quarter of 2023, government sources told Anadolu Agency on Feb. 11. 

The share of natural gas in Turkey's electricity generation grew by 21 percent last year compared to 2019, as increasing drought hindered the production capacity of the country's hydropower plants, according to a recent report by the Electricity Generators Association of Turkey.

Turkey discovered 1.92 million ounces of gold reserves in the country's northwestern province of Bilecik, the  Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on Feb. 3. 

Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party's provincial congress in Bilecik, Dönmez said the new reserves are forecast to produce 6-7 tons of gold per year, while offering employment to 800 people.