Energy minister: 2014 Turkey’s driest year

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said that 2014 was shown to be the driest year on record for Turkey, adding that the share of electricity generated through hydro-plants had decreased to under 20 percent



Turkey went through its driest year in 2014 in terms of water sources, Turkey's energy minister said on Saturday."The world experienced its hottest summer season since the 1880s, studies by Japan and NASA show," said Energy Minister Taner Yıldız at an energy labor union meeting in Ankara. "The world's average temperature went up by 0.69 degrees Celsius and the earth cannot tolerate more than an increase of 2 degrees. Developing countries have to take measures to prevent further warming." The share of hydro sources in electricity generation fell to under 20 percent from around 25 percent in previous years, due to the drought in the country, Yıldız added.The minister also said that there have been no energy supply problems this winter season. Yıldız added that Turkey now ranks second in Europe in terms of the capacity of its transmission and distribution network, with 1.2 million kilometers of power lines across the country.