Energy Minister Albayrak announces a huge solar power plant investment in Konya
It was announced by Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak that a tender for a 1,000 megawatt-photovoltaic solar power plant, to be established in Konya’s Karapınar district, would be held in December. The solar power plant is planned to be the largest of its kind in the world and will introduce a new era in Turkey’s use of renewable energy resources. It was also reported that the US, China, and several European countries are expected to compete in the tender that is supposed to attract more than USD 1 billion worth of investment to Konya. When accomplished the project will create a competitive environment in energy prices, as well as reduce energy costs. The plant is to be constructed on a 2,000-hectare area and scheduled to produce 1.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. That amount of electricity should feed in excess of 600,000 houses.
The Energy Minister also commented that it was one of the first energy projects of its kind and added that in order for a bid to be successful companies would have to install a PV manufacturing facility of minimum 500 MW yearly capacity and companies successful in the bidding process would start energy production by the end of 2018.
Turkey is set to hold a tender for a similar project in wind energy in the first quarter of 2017. Commenting on the wind plant tender, the minister said that they would offer alternative areas for wind farms that might be of interest to investors, and that the tender would be based on a win-win principle. The goal is to enhance domestic technology and R&D activities in Turkey via such projects and create employment for Turkish engineers. This in turn is expected to encourage further technology-based production in Turkey.
SOURCE: MEDIA
