Awarded the contract for a Wind Energy Renewable Energy Resource Area (YEKA), a 1,000 megawatt (MW) wind power plant project, with two Turkish partners Türkerler and Kalyon, Siemens Gamesa Renewable is now eyeing other projects in Turkey amid aims to accomplish Turkey's 2071 vision.
As opposed to the current political agenda, the investment interest of German companies in Turkey steadily continues. Siemens, which won the wind energy contract with Turkish partners in early August, is preparing to participate in Turkey's long-term projects.
Stressing that Siemens believes in the 2023 and 2071 goals incorporated in the YEKA projects, Siemens Gamesa Renewable CEO Hakan Yıldırım noted that the company is willing to take steps to move Turkey forward in renewable energy.
"Siemens will, of course, continue investing in YEKA projects that are devised for the longer term. The company has been operating in Turkey for 160 years. As a company which has been granted the contract for wind energy YEKA, we bear liability for the relevant energy," Yıldırım said.
Details of the special technology that gave the Siemens-Türkerler-Kalyon consortium a very competitive edge over other consortia in the YEKA tender, which resulted in a world-record feed-in-tariff at $3.48, have revealed that the technology relies on the formula of Industry 4.0.
As part of the project, the single and longest wing production will be accomplished via "direct-drive" technology. The wings of the turbines and towers will be made a lot lighter with specially designed materials. The projects envisage the production of long and wide winged mills which will be used in Turkey.
Emphasizing that long-term research and development (R&D) is included in the project, Yıldırım said the new-generation technology provided by the company enables the maximization of capacity in terms of wind energy.
Harmony and cooperation among the consortium members, their strategic perspective on the YEKA project and the cutting-edge competition among the consortia that participated in the tender are other factors that affected the record price, Yıldırım indicated.
"We have measurements of wind carried out in a large area and the ability to analyze these measurements. After analyzing the data, we will deploy high technology in highly efficient areas," Yıldırım said, adding that the company is transitioning to a technology that enables the installation of taller towers, more efficient energy transformation and a wider wing radius.
With cutting-edge technology, Siemens, which has an installed power capacity of 75 gigawatts (GW) around the world, aims to generate more energy from wind.