Wind and solar power plants with a total capacity of 7 GW will be built in Turkey with Chinese funding. A preliminary agreement between the two countries was signed on Thursday, 12 November, on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), which is currently under way in Antalya, Turkey.
This was reported by Reuters, citing a statement by Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
The countries' commitments are enshrined in a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in renewable energy. It was signed by the national energy administrations of the two states.
In addition to the construction of new solar and wind generation facilities, the cooperation envisages the development of related infrastructure for energy storage and transmission. This includes new energy storage systems and 4 GW of electricity transmission capacity.
For Turkey, such a large-scale inflow of international investment is an important factor in strengthening its energy security and accelerating the green transition.
"This cooperation will expand our renewable energy capacity and enable technology transfer, supporting the production of wind turbine equipment in Türkiye and making a significant contribution to the development of our domestic industry," Bayraktar added.
At COP31, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Renewable Energy with the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China.
The agreement envisages approximately USD 15 billion in investment in Türkiye. Under the agreement, we aim to develop a combined 7,000 MW of solar and wind power capacity, new energy storage systems, and 4,000 MW of electricity transmission capacity.
This cooperation will expand our renewable energy capacity and enable technology transfer, supporting the production of wind turbine equipment in Türkiye and making a significant contribution to the development of our domestic industry.
In line with our National Energy 2040 Vision, this historic agreement will strengthen our energy security and accelerate our green transition. I wish both our countries every success in this partnership.
— Alparslan Bayraktar (@aBayraktar1) November 12, 2026
As a reminder, amid concerns about external influence on its energy sector, the EU has considered banning China-made equipment for the renewable energy sector.
Discussions on joining new global environmental targets are also taking place on the sidelines of COP. In particular, the EU is ready to commit to a twelvefold increase in geothermal energy production by 2050, as well as to raising the share of electrification to 35% by 2035.
