The YEKA-GES 2024 tender allocated a total of 800 megawatts of capacity across six Turkish provinces namely Konya, Karaman, Malatya, Van, Antalya, and Kutahya.
Winning companies will be allowed to sell the electricity they produce on the free market for five years following the signing of contracts, according to Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
The projects will generate a combined 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, said Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, following the tenders held in the Turkish capital Ankara.
The electricity generated is projected to meet the energy needs of 600,000 households, Bayraktar added.
The tenders were completed at an average price of $126,000 per megawatt across six competitions, with an electricity purchase guarantee set at 3.25 cents per kilowatt-hour, less than half of current market prices, he said.
Bayraktar also announced plans for additional YEKA tenders for at least 2,000 megawatts by the end of 2025.
The latest round of solar projects will reduce natural gas imports by 300 million cubic meters per year, saving $150 million annually, he explained.
'When we consider the 20-year purchase period, it means that we are preventing natural gas imports of over $3 billion,' Bayraktar underlined.
- Reform package to accelerate investment in wind, solar
Bayraktar also said that the ministry is working on a reform package that will accelerate the investment processes especially in wind and solar.
'We will implement projects that will reduce our country's dependence on foreign energy, contribute to meeting the energy demand and, of course, contribute to our climate targets and emission reduction targets as soon as possible,' he said.
Noting that the ministry prioritized the use of domestic equipment in these tenders, Bayraktar said: 'We held the tenders with a minimum local content requirement of 75% in the panel and module.'
'Therefore, the panels to be used here will be panels produced in Türkiye. In this sense, it will contribute to both industry and green employment,' he added.
Last week, Türkiye finalized five tenders for the allocation of 1,200 megawatts in wind energy projects, projected to attract $1.2 billion in investments.
Introduced in 2016, YEKA projects have been the main drivers of growth in renewable energy, both in terms of technology development, equipment manufacture, and electricity generation.
(Anadolu Agency, February 5, 2025)