ISO Energy Management Committee Holds Workshop to Unite All Stakeholders in Turkey's Energy Sector
The Energy Management Committee Working Group of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) organized an important workshop that brought together all stakeholders of the energy sector in Turkey. Speaking about the workshop, which conducted a comprehensive evaluation of Turkey's 2053 energy targets, ISO Energy and Electrical Equipment Industries Committee Member Rıdvan Mertöz stated that there was wide participation from universities to the public and civil society organizations in the workshop held at four tables focusing on renewable energy, nuclear, hydrogen-hydroelectric, and thermal power plants. Mertöz mentioned that a report would be prepared following the workshop, and they aimed to transform this report into an energy strategy document by presenting it up to the Presidency.
The ISO Energy Management Committee Working Group carried out the "Current Status and Expectations of Energy Technologies in the World and in Our Country Project Workshop." In the workshop, conducted at four tables focusing on renewable energy, nuclear, hydrogen-hydroelectric, and thermal power plants, Turkey's 2053 energy targets were discussed, and the current state of the energy sector was evaluated to determine what actions are necessary to achieve these targets.
Providing information about the workshop, Mertöz explained that the first meeting of the ISO Energy Management Committee Working Group was held in June 2023. He noted that the working group is not exclusively composed of energy equipment committee members and includes businesspeople from all sectors of the industry. Mertöz stated, “We reviewed all topics such as ‘What are Turkey's energy needs? Is energy supply sufficient? How much is our energy consumption? How much of this should be renewable energy? What path should we take, and what share should it have?’ and we established a roadmap. In our last meeting, we said, ‘As ISO, let’s create a workshop where we can thoroughly discuss the needs of our industry, investments related to electricity, and similar issues.’ We held our workshop on December 10.”
Mertöz mentioned the wide participation in the workshop from universities, the public, and civil society organizations, focusing on hydrogen-hydroelectric and thermal plants, renewable energy, and nuclear energy. He continued, “From time to time, reports related to the energy sector are being prepared. We will prepare a result report that incorporates the needs, contributions, and localization efforts of the industrialists from this extensive workshop that brings together all stakeholders in the sector. We will first present this report to our ISO board of directors. Then, we aim to transform it into an energy strategy report by taking it to the ministry and perhaps even up to the Presidency.”
TWO IMPORTANT ISSUES: PRICES AND UNINTERRUPTED ENERGY Mertöz emphasized that there are two important issues for industrialists in energy: 'prices and uninterrupted quality energy,' noting that these issues cannot be discussed independently of the sector's future. He explained that significant discussions had taken place regarding Turkey’s 2053 energy targets, highlighting that “Renewable energy has been our most discussed topic. There is a huge potential in our country, especially in solar energy. However, issues such as its localization, ensuring quality implementation, and simultaneously upgrading transformers and energy transmission lines were also discussed. Additionally, we addressed crucial questions such as ‘What will the share of nuclear energy be in 2053? What percentage will the weight of thermal power plants drop to, or will they completely shut down?’”
Touching on the supports in the energy sector, Mertöz noted that while state support is not as significant as before, it still exists, and emphasized that these supports should be utilized more effectively. He pointed out that bureaucracy in energy works somewhat slowly, complicating matters. Mertöz stated, “As a company, we have investments abroad as well. We have even made a small power plant on our roof there and found it to be very convenient. The government's trust and perspective towards industrialists abroad is quite different. Here, the approach is more cautious and skeptical. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to overcome bureaucratic hurdles.”