According to the Izmir Development Agency’s (IZKA) report, hosting 20 % of Turkey’s installed onshore wind energy, the country’s western province of Izmir offers substantial offshore wind energy opportunities for investors.
Turkey has followed the worldwide trend that saw huge investments in offshore wind energy in the last 20 years in parallel with rapidly growing technology in this sector. The report revealed that 35 GW of offshore wind capacity had been installed globally, along with 707 GW of onshore wind installments.
With projections of 70 GW of offshore potential for Turkey, the report advocated for the enduring potential in offshore wind in the region that has already been crowned the wind capital of Turkey and a production hub for Turkey’s onshore wind energy equipment. The wind sector in Izmir currently employs more than 7,500, exports to 30 countries and generates revenue close to 500 million dollars.
The Turkish offshore wind roadmap includes the main steps that need to be taken on a regional scale to realize Turkey’s potential in the sector, including the appraisal of the sector’s potential and the determination of investment locations, market analysis, assessment of sectoral needs and demands, coordination between regional and national policies and assessment of financial resources.
IZKA’s Secretary-General Mehmet Yavuz said that with an investment cost of 1.4 million dollars/MW, the wind energy sector contributes much to the economy not only through the manufacture of wind turbine components but also through services like engineering, installment, maintenance, repowering and recycling.
He said that offshore installments are gradually growing and the market will witness a considerable expansion in the coming period, driven by technological developments and global trends, stressing the importance of adapting
Turkey’s industrial and logistical infrastructure to this sectoral transition. The existence of a mature and clustered wind industry in and around Izmir could make it possible to avail of new opportunities created by the sector.
