WNAM REPORT: According to a statement from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, this production prevented $21.5 billion worth of coal imports, while the substitution of fossil fuel use prevented approximately 354 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Since 2008, September 21st has been celebrated as World Zero Emissions Day. The day aims to minimize the effects of global warming, reduce carbon footprints, and highlight the importance of renewable energy, while also raising awareness about the environmental impact of fossil fuels. Data from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources reveals Türkiye’s performance in achieving zero emissions between 2015 and 2025.
In 2015, Turkey generated a total of 11,847 gigawatt-hours of electricity from solar and wind power, replacing electricity that could have been produced with $300 million worth of imported coal and preventing 9.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Over the past 10 years, with the increase in electricity production from solar and wind power, carbon emissions that could have resulted from the use of fossil fuels have gradually decreased.
Between 2015 and 2025, Turkey generated a total of 442.2 terawatt-hours of electricity from solar and wind energy. This achievement prevented the import of coal (worth $21.5 billion) or natural gas (worth $43.3 billion) that would have been required to produce this amount.
As a result of replacing fossil fuels, approximately 354 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented from electricity production using only imported coal (442.2 terawatt-hours), and approximately 177 million tons from natural gas (442.2 terawatt-hours) alone.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, in a post on his social media account regarding the issue, stated that they continue to secure the future of the nation by making the most of renewable energy sources in line with the goals of Net Zero Emissions and fully energy-independent Turkey by 2053, and added the following:
“Between 2015 and 2025, thanks to the 442.2 terawatt-hours of electricity we generated from wind and solar power, we prevented carbon emissions amounting to 354 million tons. While protecting our environment, we also prevented tens of billions of dollars worth of fossil fuel imports. Today, Turkey has risen to 5th place in Europe and 11th place in the world in renewable energy with its investments. We will make the Turkish Century the century of energy and sustainability by reaching 120,000 megawatts of installed capacity by 2035, leveraging this unique potential. On this occasion, I celebrate World Zero Emission Day on September 21st and state that we will continue our investments day and night, without slowing down, with our domestic and national technologies, for a greener, more environmentally friendly, and fully energy-independent Turkey.”
