Turkey reduces dependence on foreign energy

By Azernews

By Yasemin Asan

Turkey’s Energy Efficiency Association (ENVER) President Ali Ihsan Silkim has said that the country is reducing its foreign energy supply dependence, Yeni Shafak newspaper has reported.

“Thanks to our national energy and mining policy, we reduce our foreign dependence and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Silkim said.

It was noted that while the global supply crisis in the energy markets and the increasing costs left their mark in 2021, it is predicted that the cost increase will continue in 2022.

While many countries around the world are working to ensure supply security, Turkey has started to reap the fruits of its efforts to diversify its energy resources for years. At the same time, Turkey, which strengthened its infrastructure in supply, was among the countries least affected by the crisis.

Silkim said that energy consumption is constantly increasing with the population growth rate and industrialization in Turkey.

“We have an installed power of approximately 100,000 megawatts. Thanks to the investments made and the policies followed in the field of hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, we have come a long way. We are in a strong position in terms of technical infrastructure. We have resources that feed the system, such as international pipelines, underground natural gas storage, LNG and FSRU [Floating Storage Regasification Unit] facilities," he said.

Noting that a significant portion of the energy costs in Turkey is subsidized by the state without being passed on to the consumer, Silkim said:  “Therefore, we do not have the luxury of wasting energy. Energy efficiency is the cleanest, cheapest and most domestic energy source for our country.”

Underlining that energy should be used efficiently in every field from transportation to agriculture, from industry to households, Silkim said that there is efficiency potential above 30 percent, especially in industry and residences.

Reminding that the second week of January is celebrated as Energy Savings Week every year, Silkim stated that they are carrying out important studies to raise awareness on this issue.

Silkim underlined that with the Turkey Energy Efficiency Awareness Index study, they are trying to measure the knowledge, awareness and behavior dimensions of the society on energy efficiency.

Noting that citizens are knowledgeable about efficiency but lacking in implementation, Silkim said: "We have to make it a business culture that permeates every aspect of our lives, taking into account the economic values that energy efficiency will create."