Istanbul, October 6, 2025 – The Europe Today: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday highlighted Türkiye’s leading role in green energy investments, noting that the share of renewable energy in the country’s total energy capacity has risen to over 60 percent this year.
Speaking at the 11th Energy Efficiency Forum and Exhibition in Istanbul, President Erdogan emphasized that the world’s energy needs are increasing alongside population growth and economic expansion.
“Rising energy demand reflects not only population growth and development but also increased prosperity. As prosperity grows, the use of energy, especially electricity, expands,” he said.
Erdogan underscored that comprehensive government projects to enhance energy efficiency have been ongoing since 2002, resulting in a 32 percent improvement in energy intensity.
“We have reduced the energy consumed per product and service by one-third. While the world improves energy intensity by an average of 1 percent annually, Türkiye has improved by 4.5 percent. We have become one of the countries increasing energy efficiency most rapidly,” he stated.
On energy imports, the president noted that Türkiye paid $26 billion for energy imports in the first eight months of this year alone, adding that the government is working to reduce this figure. He highlighted domestic production, saying, “Our daily oil consumption is around 1 million barrels, of which 160,000 barrels are sourced from our own resources.”
Erdogan also referenced Türkiye’s progress in Black Sea gas and Gabar oil discoveries but stressed that “some distance” remains. He noted that Türkiye currently ranks fifth globally with four active drilling and two seismic-research vessels, adding that the entry of new vessels will elevate the country to fourth place.
Nuclear Energy Expansion
The president highlighted Türkiye’s efforts to advance in nuclear energy. Pointing out that 416 reactors are active in 31 countries, producing approximately 9 percent of global electricity, Erdogan said construction of 63 reactors is ongoing in 15 countries, including Türkiye.
“We will, God willing, provide the first electricity at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant very soon. Other nuclear projects are also under discussion,” he said. He added that Türkiye’s Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with the United States focuses on peaceful nuclear energy cooperation, including development of next-generation reactor technologies and small modular reactors.
Economic Outlook and Energy Demand
President Erdogan linked Türkiye’s energy strategy to economic growth, stating that the country aims to reach a $1.9 trillion economy and a per capita income of $21,000 by 2028. He outlined plans to increase exports to $300 billion and tourism revenues to over $70 billion, while projecting population growth to 88 million by 2030 and 94 million by 2050.
He also highlighted natural gas consumption trends, noting that usage increased from 17.4 billion cubic meters in 2002 to 53.2 billion cubic meters in 2024, with a projected rise to 59.5 billion cubic meters in 2025.
