Turkey declares 2026 'year of wind,' unveils offshore wind sites and $30 billion grid investment plan

Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar on Tuesday declared 2026 the "year of wind" at the Turkish Wind Energy Congress in Ankara, unveiling plans for 1,500 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity in upcoming Renewable Energy Resource Zone (YEKA) tenders and designating four offshore wind sites.

"2026 will practically be the year of wind," Bayraktar said. He announced that 1,500 MW will be dedicated to wind as part of YEKA tenders, a mechanism introduced in 2016 to allocate land for large-scale renewable projects and encourage domestic technology production.

Bayraktar designated four areas for offshore wind development: the Saros Gulf, areas near the islands of Gökçeada and Bozcaada, and the region off the coast of Edremit. Turkey aims to install 5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power capacity by 2035. "After the permitting processes are completed, we will hold Türkiye's first offshore wind YEKA tender," Bayraktar said, without providing a specific timeline. Ibrahim Erden, head of the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB), said he expects the first offshore wind YEKA tender to be announced and held either later this year or early next year.

To support the renewable expansion, Turkey plans to invest around $30 billion in grid infrastructure, including 14,700 kilometers of high-voltage direct current transmission lines with 40 GW of capacity, 15,000 kilometers of new alternating current transmission lines, and 40 new converter stations. "A strong renewable portfolio requires a strong grid infrastructure," Bayraktar said.

Turkey's total installed electricity generation capacity has surpassed 125,000 megawatts, with roughly 63% from renewable sources, up from about 33% in 2005. Wind power capacity has grown from 20 MW in 2005 to more than 15,000 MW today. Wind accounted for 10.9% of Turkey's 393 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity generation in 2025, and Bayraktar said annual wind generation reached a record 34.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Solar capacity rose from 40 MW in 2014 to more than 26,000 MW today. Turkey aims to raise combined wind and solar installed capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035.

Bayraktar said Turkey is among the top five countries in Europe and top 11 globally in renewable installed capacity. He also noted that localization rates in the wind sector have reached around 60% for turbines and more than 70% for towers, generators, and blades. The renewable ecosystem has grown from 27 producers in 2014 to 500 domestic manufacturers today, supporting around 50,000 green jobs, according to Bayraktar.

Turkey will co-host the U.N. COP31 climate summit with Australia in Antalya in November. "COP31 is of great importance in this context," Bayraktar said. "From wind and solar to nuclear energy and energy efficiency, we will deliver important messages to the world from Antalya with ambitious targets."