Türkiye relies on foreign sources for roughly 75 percent of its energy needs, yet the country exploits only a small share of its substantial renewable resources, a senior planning official warned in Ankara.
State Planning Organisation deputy undersecretary Halil Ibrahim Akca said national electricity demand is projected to hit 295 billion kWh by 2013, putting growing pressure on supply, finances, and the environment given the country's heavy import dependence.
Akca noted that Türkiye holds a hydroelectric potential of 130 billion kWh annually but captures only about 35 percent of it. Wind capacity stands at 10,000 megawatts, yet just 49 megawatts are currently being generated.
The country's average annual solar potential is the equivalent of 87 million tons of oil, enough to theoretically yield 110 billion kWh of electricity, though Akca said no meaningful progress has been made in that sector. Geothermal prospects are equally large: some 170 unexplored regions and roughly 1,000 springs represent an estimated 30,000-megawatt capacity, of which only 229 megawatts are in use.
Akca also highlighted Türkiye's biomass potential, citing abundant agricultural waste and animal manure. Expanding modern biomass use, he said, could cover the energy requirements of the entire agricultural sector.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.