Work begins for Turkey's first offshore wind power plant

Dr. Murat Durak, Chairman of the Board of the Offshore Wind Energy Association (DÜRED), stated that the site sizes for the Renewable Energy Resource Area (YEKA) for offshore wind power plants in Turkey were determined in August and that technical work could begin in 2024.

MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS ARE IMPORTED

In his statement, Durak noted that Turkey, which imports more than two-thirds of its energy needs, must increase its supply security and the diversity of its domestic resources.

Reminding that the YEKA areas where Turkey will carry out offshore wind energy projects have been clarified, Durak said, "An area of 1,111 square kilometers off the coast of Bandırma, 299 square kilometers off the coast of Bozcaada, 75.6 square kilometers off the coast of Gelibolu, and 410 square kilometers off the coast of Karabiga have been allocated for offshore wind energy."

Durak stated that after obtaining opinions from relevant institutions and organizations for the allocated YEKA, pre-feasibility studies consisting of meteorological and oceanographic analyses and measurements will be conducted in specific areas, adding, "Technical work in the seas can begin in 2024. For offshore wind power plant projects, the Renewable Energy Resources Support Mechanism (YEKDEM) base price has been set at 6.75 cents/dollar per kilowatt-hour, and the ceiling price at 8.25 cents/dollar per kilowatt-hour."

Sharing the information that the application period for YEKDEM is 10 years, Durak also reminded that the domestic contribution price application period for these facilities has been set at 5 years.

INTEREST IN THIS SECTOR IS GROWING

Pointing out that there are regions with high potential for floating and fixed-bottom installations in Turkey, Durak said, "A potential of 13.9 gigawatts for floating installations and 1.3 gigawatts for fixed-bottom installations has been identified in the Black Sea. In the Sea of Marmara, there is a potential of 19.2 gigawatts for floating installations and 2.8 gigawatts for fixed-bottom installations."

Stating that Turkey's offshore wind installation target for 2035 is 5 gigawatts, Durak said the total wind capacity target is 29.6 gigawatts.

Drawing attention to the fact that significant targets have been announced in the field of offshore wind globally, Durak said, "While 10 percent of the total wind energy capacity in the world commissioned in 2019 consisted of offshore, this rate is projected to rise to 20 percent after 2025."

Stating that it is estimated that there will be 460 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity in the world by 2030, Durak noted the following:

"Although Japan commissioned the first offshore wind project in Asia in 2003, the real beginning of the offshore wind energy market in Asia was in 2014. China took the first step by announcing its national plan in 2014. China, which reached 1 gigawatt of offshore wind installed capacity in 2017, surpassed the UK 1 year later. The second largest offshore wind market in the Asian market is Taiwan. Offshore wind energy in Asia is projected to grow by 8.4 percent annually until 2030. The top 5 markets are listed as China (52 gigawatts), Taiwan (10.5 gigawatts), South Korea (7.9 gigawatts), Japan (7.4 gigawatts), and Vietnam (5.2 gigawatts)."

Durak reminded that the first commercial offshore wind energy in North America was installed in Rhode Island in December 2016 with an installed capacity of 30 megawatts.

Stating that many offshore wind energy projects are currently in the development stage on the American continent, Durak said, "According to the capacity projection, 10 gigawatts of capacity was estimated for 2030. Of this, 1 gigawatt was planned for Canada and 9 gigawatts for the USA."