Τurkiye's electricity installed capacity exceeds to 105,000 MW in 100 years of Turkish republic

By Gokce Topbas and Gulsen Cagatay

Türkiye exceeds installed electricity capacity from 33 megawatts (MW) in 1923 to 105,659 MW as of October 2023, with the help of energy investments realized in 100 years.

Significant developments in the electricity sector for a century, compiled by Anadolu staff, as the country gathers to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Republic Day.

Total electricity installed capacity increased from 33 MW in 1923 to 78 MW in 1930, 217MW in 1940, 407MW in 1950, 1271MW in 1960 and 2,234 MW in 1970.

- The first power plants

In Türkiye, the first geothermal power plant was established in Denizli, southwestern part of the country, in 1974, while the first wind power plant was built in Izmir, a major city on Türkiye's Aegean coast, in 1998 and the first solar power plant installed in Istanbul in 2011.

Türkiye's first hydroelectric power plant, the Tarsus Hydroelectric Power Plant, was commissioned in 1902 in the district of Mersin Province, with a capacity of 60 kilowatts, followed by the Isiklar Hydroelectric Power Plant in 1929 in Trabzon, which is located in the Black Sea coast of northeast Türkiye.

The first coal-fired thermal power plant was built in Istanbul in 1914. Catalagzi Thermal Power Plant was then commissioned in 1948 in Zonguldak in the Black Sea region.

The first natural gas combined cycle power plant was the Hamitabat Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant, established in 1985 in Luleburgaz, Kirklareli, a city in the European part of Türkiye.

- The number of power plants exceeded 12,000

In order to meet energy needs, Türkiye installed various electricity power plants from renewables.

The number of solar energy power plants has reached 10,479 as of October 2023, while hydroelectric plants reached 752, biomass 384, wind 363, waste heat 95 and geothermal energy power plants reached 63 at the same period.

In addition, the number of natural gas power plants has totaled 343, while imported coal, lignite, asphaltite and hard coal has reached 68 power plants.

Thus, the total number of power plants increased to over 12,000 as of October 2023.

As of October 2023, the installed power of power plants generating electricity from natural gas reached 25,354 MW, and the total installed power of imported coal, lignite, asphaltite and hard coal power plants reached 21,814 MW.

At the same period, the installed capacity of hydroelectricity totaled 31,595 MW, 11,602 MW in wind, 10,899 MW in solar, 2,438 MW in biomass and waste heat energy, and 1691 MW in geothermal energy.

With the investments made in the clean energy sector, Türkiye ranked 5th in Europe and 12th in the world in terms of total installed renewable energy capacity.