Thirty percent of the electricity consumed in Turkey in the first seven months of 2012 was produced by hydroelectric plants, Forest and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu said in a written statement yesterday.
Turkey pays $25 billion for imported energy each year, he said, adding that as the hydroelectric plants currently under construction begin to produce power, most of this money will stay in the country, helping to close the current account deficit, most of which stems from energy imports, Hurriyet Daily reports.