The background for the energy cooperation can be found in the Turkish Government’s ambitions to decrease the country’s dependency on imported energy and at the same time increase its share of renewable energy. Turkey is a country of growth both when it comes to its population and its economy. This fact leads to increased energy demand, which by 2026 is expected to grow by close to 5 per cent annually. Currently, 75 per cent of Turkey’s energy consumption comes from imported fossil fuels.
Energy is of significant geopolitical importance not least due to Turkey’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. The government aims to achieve a much larger share of domestically produced energy. The potential for locally produced green energy includes geothermal, waste, solar, wind as well as surplus heat from industry and power plants.
Since 2017, Denmark and Turkey have cooperated on the development of policies, strategies and solutions within district heating and cooling, which can help drive the green transition of the Turkish energy sector. In 2018, the cooperation was expanded to also include developing a road map for offshore wind in Turkey.
The sector areas included in the cooperation are:
- District energy
- District heating
- District cooling
- Wind energy
Facts
- The cooperation started with a preparation phase in 2015 and until 2018 the focus was district energy after which offshore wind was added.
- Financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Strategic Sector Cooperation initiative. The ongoing Phase 2 is running until the end of 2022.