Energy investments in Turkey exceeded $4 billion with a capacity of 3,620 megawatts (MW) generated in electricity in the January-September period of this year. According to the data compiled from the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, Turkey's installed power rose to 81,647 MW at the end of September. The domestic and renewable power plants, including the hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and lignite resources, accounted for 55 percent of the said capacity. In the installed power, the share of natural gas power plants was 33 percent and the share of imported coal was 9 percent.

The remaining 3 percent consisted of power plants operating with secondary fuels such as fuel oil, naphthalene and diesel.

In the January-September period, 116 power plants with a capacity of 3,620 MW were commissioned. Given the fact that $1 to $1.2 million is invested in electricity for 1-MW installed power, the total investment amount in this period exceeded $4 billion.

In the nine months of the year, the largest investment was realized in natural gas power plants with 2,404 MW. During this period, 22 natural gas power plants were taken into operation.

In the said period, 46 new wind farms with a capacity of 535 MW and 28 hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of 407.8 MW went into production. In the field of geothermal energy, on the other hand, eight power plants with an installed power of 171 MW were commissioned, while a 50-MW coal power plant started operating.

The remaining installed capacity of 52.2 MW came from a total of 11 plants generating electricity from biogas, fuel-oil, cogeneration and waste heat. Meanwhile, a total of 4,815 MW of electricity had been put into operation in January-September last year.