Türkiye projects investments of about $108 billion (TL 5.26 trillion) in power generation and transmission infrastructure by 2035 as it targets 120 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind and solar capacity, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Wednesday.
"Under our Renewable Energy 2035 Road Map, we aim to reach an installed capacity of 120 gigawatts in wind and solar power," Bayraktar said.
"To achieve this, we project investments of approximately $80 billion in generation and $28 billion in transmission infrastructure," the minister told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Bayraktar said the country's transmission network had expanded significantly in recent years, with the total length of transmission lines increasing 80% to 77,000 kilometers (47,845 miles).
The transmission network forms the backbone of the electricity system by carrying power from generation facilities to consumption centers, while distribution networks deliver electricity to consumers, he said.
Moreover, he said that Türkiye was continuing to invest in its electricity grid to meet rising power demand, urbanization, expanding generation capacity and the needs of the energy transition.
"Our electricity transmission network underwent significant development between 2005 and 2025," he said.
During this period, the number of transmission substations owned by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAŞ) increased from 512 to 824, while the number of transmission transformers rose from 1,096 to 2,215, Bayraktar said.
Total transformer capacity increased 226% to 236,913 megavolt-amperes (MVA), he added.
Bayraktar also noted that electricity is playing a growing role in the energy system as the use of artificial intelligence, data centers, electric vehicles and air conditioning expands.
"Rapid growth in renewable energy capacity, particularly solar and wind, requires us to integrate more generation facilities into the grid. With our new energy architecture, we are working to build a more resilient, flexible and modern grid," he said.
He said expanding and strengthening grid connections would be a key part of Türkiye's new energy architecture.
"In this context, we will build high-voltage direct current (HVDC) energy corridors with a total length of approximately 9,580 kilometers and a capacity of 28 GW. In addition, we will commission 15,000 kilometers of new alternating-current transmission lines," he said.
At the same time, Bayraktar said electrification will be one of Türkiye's key messages at COP31, which the country will host in Antalya, emphasizing its importance to the energy transition.
"We have set an ambitious target of 35% electrification by 2035," he said.
Bayraktar added that Türkiye also needs to develop strong power grids simultaneously to meet rising demand and safely integrate renewable energy sources into the system.
"With COP31, we will bring the grid transformation required by electrification to the global agenda and offer Türkiye's experience in this field to international cooperation," Bayraktar concluded.
