Chinese state-owned company HT Solar Energy AS will invest around $1 billion for 1.1 gigawatts (GW) capacity in Turkey's second solar energy Renewable Energy Resources Zones (YEKA) Project, the company's general manager announced Thursday.
HT Solar Energy AS Turkey's General Manager Robin Xi said in an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency that the decision comes following the previous tenders held last year that were considered very attractive for solar investors.
Turkey opened high volumes of solar and wind tenders, up to 1,000 megawatts in capacity, to maximize the use of local and fossil-free energy sources.
Xi said the company aims to work with local Turkish energy companies that have knowledge of Turkey's energy and electricity market.
'For this reason, we have contacts with several Turkey's energy companies such as Zorlu, Enerjisa and Calik Energy,' he said.
'We calculated an investment plan of around $1 billion for the upcoming YEKA tender, which will reach 1.1 gigawatts in solar energy capacity,' he said.
He commended the company's 30-year experience in electricity research, storage and development, and said it could put this expertise to good use by helping Turkey achieve its aim of producing clean energy.
'I believe that with the help of our electricity storage expertise, we could help Turkey's aim of producing energy and storage for the YEKA projects,' he said.
- Previous YEKA tenders
Turkey's Energy and Natural Sources Minister Berat Albayrak presented Turkey's National Energy Strategy last year where he promised that Turkey would focus its diversification of energy sources on local resources.
In line with the new national energy strategy, Turkey opened solar and wind tenders to maximize the use of local resources. Kalyon Holding, together with a South Korean Hanwha Q-Cells consortium, won the tender for Turkey's biggest solar power plant project - the Karapinar Renewable Energy Resources Zone Project in March 2017.
A Kalyon - Turkerler - Siemens Gamesa consortium won Turkey's first 1,000-megawatt wind tender in August last year, which broke a world record with the offered price of $3.48 per kilowatt-hour of electricity production as the lowest cost of electricity per hour accepted from wind power generation.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr