Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said that Turkey is number one in Europe and fourth in the world in solar panel production, and that they aim to be second in the world for Turkey in a short time.
Kacır made statements to journalists within the scope of his two-day contacts in Brussels.
Emphasizing that Turkey has made tremendous investments in renewable energy in the last 20 years, Kacır said, "Today, 55 percent of the installed capacity in Turkey consists of renewable energy plants." he said.
Reminding that the Minister of Energy has prepared a plan to add 2035 gigawatts every year until 5, especially in solar and wind, Kacır said, "In this context, we attach great importance not only to the installation of renewable energy power plants but also to the strengthening of our industry in these areas." he said.
“We are number one in Europe and fourth in the world in solar panel production. The goal is to become second in the world for Türkiye in a short time.” Kacır said that they also produced solar cells in Turkey with the infrastructure built in recent years.
Minister Kacır said, “The EU does not have a solar panel production alternative other than Turkey. We are currently fourth in Europe in terms of wind turbines. “Our wind turbine manufacturers have a business volume approaching 2 billion euros annually.” he said.
Pointing out that EU countries are increasingly having difficulty in competing with the Far East in wind turbines, Kacır explained that in the early days, the scale provided by Europe with its own domestic markets and the fact that China focused entirely on its own domestic market gave EU companies some relief in terms of competition.
Kacır said, “But now China has a production surplus in many sectors and there is a slowdown in its domestic market. “This puts a strain on companies in EU member states in terms of competition.” said.
WIND INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE STRONGER
Stating that almost all wind turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have already invested in Turkey or started working with stakeholders, Kacır said, “We want to strengthen the infrastructure we have established in Turkey. In other words, a tremendous infrastructure has been formed in Turkey, especially in Izmir and the Aegean Region, in the production of towers, blades and generators.” said.
Minister Kacır pointed out that they will take important steps to increase their production capabilities for offshore wind turbines by accelerating investments in the coming period.
POSITIVE STEPS TOWARDS TURKEY WILL BRING GAIN FOR THE EU
Explaining that all these steps actually reveal Turkey's main direction regarding carbon neutral targets, Kacır said, “It is very important that the EU treats Turkey fairly here. Turkey is not a third country for the EU. Türkiye is an essential element of the EU value chain. Therefore, positive steps regarding Turkey in border carbon regulations, other trade regulations and investment decisions, and financing areas will benefit the EU. Rest assured, if it provides one benefit for Turkey, it provides two benefits for the EU. ” he evaluated.
Kacır noted that the EU needs Turkey very strongly in international competition and said, “Therefore, we hope that we will see a fairer, more open and more positive approach in all these processes, especially the Customs Union revision. "The EU's need for Turkey is felt more and more day by day." he said.
On the other hand, China is the world's largest solar panel producer country. More than half of the world's solar panels are produced in China.
