International organizations and sector representatives in the field of renewable energy called for accelerating renewable energy-based electrification, increasing investments and strengthening international cooperation for energy security and climate goals.
"TÜREB-GWEC COP31 Ministers and Investors Meeting" was held in cooperation with the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) within the scope of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), hosted by Turkey, held in Antalya on 9-20 November.
TÜREB President İbrahim Erden, in his speech here, said that Türkiye's energy strategy, which moves in the same direction as the goals of COP31, is based on three pillars: energy independence, supply security and combating climate change.
Pointing out that Türkiye has become a production base and export partner in wind energy, Erden said to global investors and producers, "My message is clear: Türkiye's wind industry is open to partnership to grow with us on land and at sea domestically and to export from Türkiye to the region and the world." he called.
Stating that four candidate fields have been announced in the Aegean Sea and the first 1 gigawatt offshore wind energy tender is planned to be held in 2027, Erden stated that this is a new area of cooperation.
Reminding that COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum defined the conference as "Implementation COP", Erden said, "Turkey is already in the implementation phase of wind energy. However, none of these can be achieved alone. Our Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said, 'The energy world needs more cooperation, investment and reliable partnerships.' "He expressed this very clearly." he said.
"COP31 offers an important opportunity"
Francesco La Camera, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), also said that electrification plays a critical role in advancing energy security, economic resilience and climate goals together.
La Camera drew attention to recent global developments and said:
"COP31 should be the COP of electrification. We should all work for this. Fluctuations in fossil fuel prices and energy supply disruptions have revealed the fragility of economies. Converting the energy used in transportation, buildings and industry into renewable electricity will reduce dependence on imported fuels, stabilize energy costs and increase economic resilience."
Emphasizing that costs are rapidly decreasing in renewable energy technologies, La Camera stated that there was a cost reduction of 88 percent in solar energy, 59 percent in terrestrial wind energy, 48 percent in offshore wind energy and 95 percent in battery storage in the 2010-2025 period.
La Camera stated that financing should be significantly increased to accelerate renewable energy investments, adding that COP31 offers an important opportunity to show that energy security, economic resilience and climate action can be advanced together.
Emphasis on network infrastructure
GWEC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ben Backwell said that 165 gigawatts of new wind energy capacity was commissioned worldwide last year, and that an annual installation level of approximately 200 gigawatts is expected to be reached in the coming years.
Backwell pointed out that it took 30-40 years for the installed capacity of wind energy to reach 2 terawatts from 1 terawatt, and that the second terawatt capacity is expected to be established in 5-6 years, and stated that the sector is in an accelerating growth trend, but is still behind the target of tripling the global renewable energy capacity.
Emphasizing that the most important obstacles to the global wind energy sector are the inadequacy of network infrastructure, Backwell said:
"There are long permit processes and high financing costs. Especially in offshore wind projects, permit processes take three times longer than the construction of a power plant. The industry now needs to offer uninterrupted renewable energy solutions that work integrated with solar energy, storage and other technologies, not just turbines. Renewable energy and storage solutions will also play an important role in meeting the increasing energy needs of artificial intelligence and data centers."
