Turkey and Saudi Arabia sign solar power agreement
Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark agreement to build solar power plants with a combined capacity of 2,000 megawatts in Turkey, marking a significant step in energy collaboration between the two nations. The signing ceremony took place in Istanbul at an Ottoman-era palace overlooking the Bosphorus, following a $2 billion energy deal agreed upon earlier this month during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Riyadh.
Under the agreement, Saudi company Acwa will construct two solar plants in the central Turkish provinces of Sivas and Karaman. The projects are expected to generate enough electricity to supply approximately 2.1 million households, according to officials.
Bilateral relations between Ankara and Riyadh had cooled following the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but have since improved. Recent cooperation spans a broad range of diplomatic issues, including support for Gaza and the new Syrian government.
Turkey’s Energy Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, described the solar initiative as “one of the most significant domestic and foreign investments ever in our energy sector.” He emphasized that Turkey aims to secure electricity at exceptionally low prices and highlighted that 62% of the country’s installed power capacity last year came from renewable sources.
Looking ahead, Turkey intends to increase its solar and wind energy capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2053. Although coal still accounted for 33.6% of electricity generation last year, the government plans to gradually replace it with gas and, in the longer term, nuclear power, reducing dependence on imported energy.
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