Saudi Arabia will assist Türkiye in constructing solar plants capable of supplying electricity to more than two million homes, following a deal signed Friday (20 February) in Istanbul.
The ceremony took place at an Ottoman-era palace on the Bosphorus, building on a $2-billion energy agreement announced during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Riyadh on February 3.
Key developments:
• Saudi firm Acwa will develop two solar plants in Sivas and Karaman, with a combined capacity of 2,000 megawatts.
• Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar described the project as “one of the largest domestic and foreign investments ever made in our energy sector.”
• Türkiye generated 62% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2025 and aims to reach 120,000 MW of solar and wind capacity by 2035.
• The country targets net-zero emissions by 2053, though 33.6% of electricity last year came from coal, with a gradual shift to gas and nuclear planned.
The project underscores growing Türkiye–Saudi Arabia energy cooperation and prepares Türkiye to host COP31 later this year.
ℹ️ Al-Monitor
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