Hitachi Energy Senior Vice President Alfredo Parres stated that Türkiye is in a key position in the company's industrial structuring in Europe and global supply chain, and that they will continue their investments in the company if the investment environment in the country is supportive.
In his evaluation to the AA correspondent within the scope of WindEurope Hamburg, Parres evaluated the operations of the company, which has been operating in Türkiye for more than 60 years, and its role in Türkiye's energy transformation.
Stating that Türkiye has an important place in Hitachi Energy's industrial structuring and has been a safe haven for 60 years, Parres stated that the company recently implemented the Power Transformers Factory and Service Center in Kocaeli Dilovası with an investment of 70 million dollars, and that the facility will make a great contribution to employment and production capacity.
Underlining that Türkiye is of key importance in terms of the supply chain, Parres said, "It is also an important element of our industrial structuring in terms of exports to and outside Turkey. Therefore, Türkiye has great importance in our strategy. If the conditions in Türkiye continue to be positive, there is demand and there is a supportive framework for investment, we will continue to invest in Türkiye." he said.
Stating that Hitachi Energy has more than 40 factories in Europe, Parres explained that an investment of approximately 9 billion dollars is targeted on a global scale by 2027 within the scope of the last 5-year period plan.
Drawing attention to Türkiye's strong industrial capacity and supplier ecosystem, Parres said, "Türkiye has industrial capacity, a good ecosystem and a whole supply chain around it. There are well-educated engineers and employees. It also has strong connections with Europe and other parts of the world. All these elements are important in our strategy." he said.
"Strong grid means more renewable energy"
Commenting on COP31 to be held in Antalya, hosted by Türkiye, Parres said that the company's main message at the event will be the strengthening of electricity networks, and that strong networks will enable more renewable energy to be included in the system.
"We are a grid company. Enabling and supporting grid development is a key enabler in the fight against climate change. Because if we have a grid, we can incorporate more renewable energy into the system. More grid means more renewable energy and electrification," Parres said. made his assessment.
Pointing out that Türkiye has a high potential in onshore, offshore wind and solar energy, Parres stated that the high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology needed for these resources will also play an important role in accelerating the energy transformation.
Parres noted that Türkiye's investments in grid and energy infrastructure will support this transformation.
Digitalization and energy storage are the company's new investment areas
Parres stated that the investment potential in Türkiye includes areas such as digitalization and energy storage, as well as production capacity.
Stating that Türkiye's investment in advanced technologies and infrastructure will support new investments, Parres said, "The arrival of more foreign investments depends on Türkiye investing more in infrastructure, modern and advanced technologies, digitalization and services. Today, we have transformer factories and service operations in Türkiye. However, we also want to bring more technology, energy storage and digitalization areas to Türkiye. If Turkey moves in this direction, we will make more investments." he said.
Parres also emphasized that Hitachi Energy considers the carbon footprint and sustainability performance of its suppliers as well as its own operations, and added that it is important to increase renewable energy capacity within the scope of COP31, as well as strong, modern and digital electricity networks that will integrate this capacity into the system.
