Turkish railways power up with solar energy

ANKARA

Four solar power plants have been commissioned at railway facilities, enabling the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to generate its own electricity and sell surplus energy back to the grid, creating a new source of public revenue, the transport minister has announced.

The country’s railway company officially began producing electricity through solar power plants established at four railway sites, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in a written statement.

The first phase saw the commissioning of facilities at the northwestern province of Balıkesir and the western city of İzmir’s Selçuk and Basmane stations, as well as at the vehicle maintenance facility in the southeastern province of Gaziantep.

“With additional plants under construction, the total annual output will reach 318.5 million kilowatt-hours,” he noted.

The minister underlined that electricity generated by the new plants is already in use, positioning the railways not only as a backbone of transportation but also as a pioneer in environmentally conscious energy policies.

“By integrating renewable energy investments with railway operations, we are further contributing to the country’s energy transformation. TCDD now meets its own needs from these facilities and transfers the surplus to the grid, generating income for the state,” Uraloğlu said.

With these projects, 1.5 billion Turkish Liras ($36 million) will remain in the public budget every year, he said.

Highlighting ongoing projects, Uraloğlu stated that work continues on three large-scale solar plants with a combined installed capacity of 200 megawatts in Ankara-Kocahacılı, Sivas-Sarıdemir and Kahramanmaraş-Narlı.

Once completed by the end of 2029, these facilities will supply 25 percent of the electricity required by the country’s railways’ catenary systems.

The minister also drew attention to Istanbul’s Marmaray Rooftop Solar Project, under which solar units with a total capacity of 10.13 megawatts are being installed at 26 stations along the line.