Turkey allocated 2 thousand 285 MW renewable energy capacity in the wind and solar energy competitions organized within the scope of YEKA 2026. In addition, these competitions pave the way for approximately 1.9 billion dollars of investment. Because the projects are expected to produce 6.1 billion kWh of clean electricity annually. Thus, YEKA 2026 results will bring investments in two areas.
YEKA, or Renewable Energy Resource Areas model, enables certain areas to be given to investors through competition. On the other hand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced that the competitions were completed. Accordingly, capacity allocation was made for a total of 18 fields. Therefore, the allocation process for all sites within the scope of YEKA 2026 has been completed.
YEKA 2026 Distributed 785 MW on the Solar Side
19 companies participated in the YEKA GES-2026 competitions with a total of 44 applications. However, the capacity was allocated for 11 fields in Denizli, Ankara, Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Batman and Elazığ. Thus, 785 MW was distributed on the solar side.
The base purchase price for all projects was 3.25 euro cents per kilowatt-hour. On the other hand, the winning companies will be able to sell electricity in the free market for 5 years after the contract. Then, electricity will be supplied to the transmission system at the same price for 20 years. Therefore, the same base price will apply to all solar fields.
In addition, a contribution fee of 31,585 million euros, excluding VAT, was committed in the solar competitions. The amount including VAT reached 37.9 million euros.
1,500 MW in Wind Given to Investors
In the YEKA RES-2026 competitions, a total of 1,500 MW wind capacity was allocated for 7 fields in Sivas, Balıkesir, Manisa and Kütahya. 29 applications from 12 companies were received for these competitions. Therefore, this figure constitutes the majority of 2 thousand 285 MW in the total of YEKA 2026. In addition, wind fields are concentrated in four provinces.
The base purchase price for wind projects was determined as 3.50 euro cents per kilowatt-hour. In addition, the winners will be able to sell electricity in the free market for 72 months from the date of contract signing. For the next 20 years, production will be transferred to the transmission system at the determined price.
Effect on Natural Gas Imports
According to the data shared by Bayraktar, the projects aim to prevent the annual import of approximately 1 billion 220 million cubic meters of natural gas. For this reason, investments are also important for energy supply security.
Wind projects alone are expected to produce 4.6 billion kWh of electricity annually. This amount corresponds to the electricity needs of approximately 2 million households. Moreover, the wind side is expected to prevent annual natural gas imports of $852 million. For this reason, wind stands out in terms of both electricity production and import savings.
Metgün Energy Investments and Poyraz Renewable Energy took part in the competitions. In addition, Egesa Elektrik İnşaat Enerji Üretim and Ecogreen Elektrik Enerji Üretim are among the companies on the wind side. Once the contracts are signed, 5-year and 72-month free sales processes will begin for YEKA 2026 winners.
