Türkiye among top three in Europe for wind capacity additions

ISTANBUL

Türkiye installed 593 megawatts of new onshore wind power capacity in the first six months of 2025, ranking as the third-largest contributor to capacity growth in Europe during the period.

The country aims to expand its onshore wind capacity by a total of 1.6 gigawatts by the end of the year, and in the first half alone commissioned 100 wind turbines, each with an average capacity of 5.9 MW.

According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from the European Wind Energy Association (WindEurope), Türkiye’s six-month capacity increase was 39 percent higher than the same period of 2024.

The 593 MW added in the first half represented 37 percent of the annual target for new onshore wind installations.

The additional capacity brought online in this period reflects Türkiye’s continued momentum in its transition to renewable energy, in line with its goal of reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Earlier this year, the government approved support for 1.2 GW of onshore wind projects across five sites. This support was granted under the Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA) tender launched in late 2024.

Under the new YEKA model, successful bidders will be allowed to sell the electricity they generate on the free market for the first six years. After that, they will benefit from a 20-year feed-in-tariff purchase guarantee. The scheme is designed to increase domestic and renewable energy investment, strengthen energy supply security and lower carbon emissions.

As of the end of July, Türkiye’s total installed electricity capacity exceeded 120,000 megawatts, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry reported. The country’s installed power capacity reached 120,163 MW, of which 73,477 MW — or 61.1 percent — came from renewable sources. Hydropower accounted for the largest share among renewables at 32,289 MW (26.9 percent), followed by solar power at 23,423 MW (19.5 percent) and wind power at 13,695 MW (11.4 percent).

Across Europe, 6.8 gigawatts of new wind power capacity were installed in the first half of 2025 (gross installations). Onshore wind accounted for 89 percent of this total, amounting to 6 GW. The EU-27 added 5.3 GW of the new capacity.

Germany led the continent with approximately 2.2 GW of new onshore wind capacity, followed by Spain with 889 MW, placing Türkiye third in the European rankings.