The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said Wednesday it received some 100 applications from 40 firms for the wind Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA) tenders, amid a push for forward expansion of the capacity in line with 2035 goals.
In 2016, the Turkish government introduced the YEKA strategy, a tender process to procure the production of renewable energy in renewable energy zones, which are deemed most suitable for renewable energy generation.
These are areas where electricity generation plants based on wind and/or solar energy resources can be established.
According to a graph shared by the ministry on Wednesday, the applications were collected for wind power plants with 1,200 megawatts (MW) capacity in five areas in the provinces of Edirne, Kırklareli and Sivas.
"Within the scope of YEKA RES-2024, a total of 100 offers were received from 40 companies for five competitions with a total capacity of 1,200 MW," the ministry said in a statement on social media platform X.
The Energy Ministry last year announced a new goal to nearly quadruple the installed wind and solar capacity to 120,000 MW by 2035.
It said it aimed to encourage more investment and to ease the process by shortening the permit processes in renewable energy, which takes about 48 months to 24 months or less.
Türkiye's installed capacity in wind and solar energy, which was almost zero 15 years ago, has exceeded 33,000 megawatts.
Meanwhile, the Energy Ministry launched a new model for YEKA tenders.
New YEKA tenders will mark an important step toward reducing Türkiye's dependence on foreign energy and increasing the share of renewable resources in electricity generation, boosting the installed capacity of wind energy and strengthening the domestic wind industry.
In the field of solar energy, applications for the 800-megawatt YEKA solar power plant will be received on Jan. 27, media reports said.
According to the Turkish Commercial Code, applications from legal entities established as joint-stock or limited liability companies and foreign companies with the status of capital companies have been received by the commission established at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
A total of 100 proposals, including the required documents, have been taken to the evaluation stage. After the evaluation phase, the Ministry will announce the location and date of the upcoming competitions.
