Bayraktar reminded that they announced the "National Energy 2040" vision, Türkiye's new road map in energy, yesterday at the Gala Dinner of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MÜSİAD) 113th General Administrative Board Meeting, held in a hotel in Mersin's Akdeniz district.
Stating that Turkey and the business world must be prepared for the new world, Bayraktar said, "Especially the recent Hormuz crisis and the issue that we are faced with with Babülmendep is the biggest energy crisis of modern times. In other words, this crisis is a bigger crisis in terms of energy than the 1973 oil embargo and the 1979 oil crisis. Therefore, the world is also facing such an energy crisis." he said.
Bayraktar stated that the recent developments in energy have affected everyone financially.
Emphasizing that the Turkish economy has reached a different stage, Bayraktar said:
"When we started out under the leadership of our President in 2002, the Turkish economy emerged from a banking crisis and was an economy of 235-236 billion dollars, but today we have reached an economy of 1.8 trillion dollars. In 2027, approximately 2 trillion dollars will go to Türkiye, where the national income per capita will exceed 20 thousand dollars. This is good news, but on the other hand, it is a situation where the costs we all experience today have increased, Türkiye now needs more value-added production, and therefore our industry needs to change radically. "We are heading towards this situation. We are no longer a cheap country with cheap labor."
"Hopefully there will be no current account deficit in Türkiye in 2030 due to energy imports"
Stating that the essence of the "National Energy 2040" vision document is the goal of making Türkiye independent in energy, Bayraktar continued as follows:
"When it comes to 2040, Turkey will be able to fully meet its needs for natural gas and oil with its domestic and international production. Therefore, it will be an independent country that has finished its dependence on foreign energy. Until we get there, there is a long time until 2040. Therefore, we need to do something before 2040. We looked at the last 4-5 years. Türkiye's average current account deficit is 33 billion dollars. If we can increase our energy imports, which are currently 68 percent, to 100 percent. If we reduce it to 48, this current account deficit decreases to zero. Hopefully, we see the projection that will be able to do this in 2030. Therefore, this is good news. The place we need to go will be a point where we are completely independent in energy, because this is not only about supply security, but also will bring a very strong power to Türkiye in the current changing and transforming geopolitical tensions and geopolitical ruptures.
Pointing out that energy should be used efficiently throughout the country, Bayraktar stated that there will be approximately 20 billion dollars of public and private sector investment in the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan in the 2024-2030 period, and that they aim to reduce primary energy by 15 percent and increase the investment in electrification-energy efficiency to 15 billion dollars.
Stating that Türkiye's renewable energy is one of the areas with the greatest potential, Bayraktar said, "Hopefully, our President will announce this to the whole world at the COP. Turkey, which has reached 45 thousand megawatts in wind and solar today, will hopefully reach 175 thousand megawatts of wind and solar installed power in 2040. We will build offshore wind, our country of 6 thousand megawatts has a potential in this sense, I hope we will realize it." he said.
Minister Bayraktar stated that they will introduce Türkiye to a new investment move, a more intensive renewable investment.
"WE AIM TO INCREASE ELECTRIFICATION IN TRANSPORTATION TO OVER 20 PERCENT"
Underlining that Türkiye's path to energy independence in 2040 is through electrification of energy, Bayraktar continued his words as follows:
"In other words, a Turkey that is electrified in all areas of the economy, industry, production, agriculture, transportation everywhere, in buildings, our 2040 target is 36 percent. Now, we actually have an electrification rate in industry that has reached 28 percent. We are at 22 percent in commercial establishments and buildings, but the area where we will make the most important transformation is the field of transportation. We aim to increase the electrification rate, which is currently around 1 percent, to over 20 percent in transportation."
Reminding that he was talking about the age of artificial intelligence, Bayraktar said that Türkiye has a demand for a data center where there will be a very intense need for electricity.
Stating that Mersin is a very important city with its industry, agriculture and tourism, Bayraktar stated that they aim to make Mersin an important data center of Türkiye with a data center next to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.
Bayraktar also talked about his goals regarding the purification of sea water.
Referring to electric transportation, Bayraktar stated that the number of electric vehicles in Türkiye, which is half a million today thanks to Togg, will reach approximately 20 million in 2040.
Bayraktar emphasized that the way to Türkiye's energy independence lies in transforming demand, that is, need, and said:
"What are we turning this into? Here, we will be able to limit our oil demand to 718 thousand barrels with electric vehicles, electrification in industry, and electrification in buildings, not 1.2 million barrels of crude oil demand. In other words, we will reduce the daily need by 500 thousand barrels, half a million barrels, and turn it into electricity. We will do the same thing with natural gas. If you leave it today, Türkiye's natural gas demand in 2040 will go to 77 billion cubic meters. And that too." Likewise, we will try to keep that demand at current levels, at 55-57 billion cubic meters, with the policies we will take, here are heat pumps, with the investments we will make in other areas, and with our own resources in electricity production, that is, not by producing from natural gas and providing electricity, but with nuclear, our own coal, our own renewable resources."
Underlining that for them, the issue of energy independence is a matter of Türkiye's national security, Bayraktar emphasized that they aim to make Türkiye independent in energy.
Bayraktar stated that they have made another dream come true with the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project, which is under construction in Mersin.
"WE NEED TO ADD MINES TO OUR ECONOMY IN A VALUE-ADDED MANNER"
Stating that mines should be included in the economy, Bayraktar said:
"When the mine is underground, it has no benefit to the economy. It makes sense when you add it to the economy in a value-added way. Of course, we need to add those mines to our economy in a value-added way, without compromising occupational health and safety, and by taking into account environmental concerns. We are in the world of protectionist economy and trade. Therefore, we must be able to stand strategically on our feet with our own resources."
"WE WILL HOPELY INCREASE THE PRODUCTION OF NATURAL GAS BY 2028"
Explaining the work in the Sakarya Gas Field, Minister Bayraktar said, "Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will light the second phase fire at the Osman Gazi Floating Production Platform and Turkey will become a country that produces nearly 7.5 billion cubic meters of its own gas. The Europeans will tell us, 'You sell this gas to us. We do not buy Russian gas, but we will buy your gas.' he says. Today, the price of 1000 cubic meters of gas in Europe has reached almost 1000 dollars. 7.5 billion cubic meters means that if you try to buy it from the market today, its spot price is 7.5 billion dollars. "Hopefully, we will quadruple the production of natural gas in 2028." gave the information.
Bayraktar stated that studies are being carried out in both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean for new discoveries in natural gas.
Reminding that there are intensive support programs in both electricity and natural gas, Bayraktar continued as follows:
"When we look at the last 5 years, Türkiye's support for electricity and natural gas is a total of 74.9 billion dollars. When you divide it by 5, the average is 15 billion dollars. We give this support to our citizens every year. First of all, we give it to households. Today, the support for natural gas has reached 63 percent. Until very recently, this was also the case in electricity, but we have made some arrangements so that we can give these to the segments that need them, especially those with fixed incomes, low incomes and the lowest pensions, so that they can benefit from this. "We made a consumption-based regulation in which those who consume the most are excluded from the support program."
Emphasizing the importance of political will, determination and stability, Bayraktar noted that a Türkiye that has solved the energy and current account deficit problems will be a very strong country economically, politically and geopolitically.
OTHER SPEAKERS
Mersin Governor Atilla Toros also stated that Mersin International Port, which is among the world's top 100 container ports, is a strategic center that connects Anatolia to the Mediterranean and Türkiye to the world with its land, sea, air and railway connections.
Emphasizing that Mersin is a city that transforms raw materials into products, labor into value, and investment into employment with its 7 organized industrial zones, production facilities, qualified workforce and entrepreneurial people, Toros said that the city ranks first in the cultivation of 10 products thanks to its fertile lands.
MÜSİAD Chairman Burhan Özdemir stated that MÜSİAD is represented at 78 points in Türkiye and 100 points abroad in 84 countries.
Stating that the topic of today's board is economy and finance due to the global atmosphere they are in, Özdemir talked about the work they carry out to facilitate their members' access to finance.
Özdemir also noted a very important protocol they signed with Eximbank this week.
AK Party Mersin Deputy Nureddin Nebati, MÜSİAD Mersin Branch President Mehmet Sait Kayan and Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Serdar Yıldızgörer also spoke at the event, where gifts were presented and a souvenir photo was taken.
