From October 2025 through September 2026, more than half of Turkey’s electricity consumption—about 56%—came from low-carbon sources, while fossil fuels supplied about 44%. Hydropower was the largest clean electricity source at 27%, followed by wind and solar at about 12% each. Geothermal and biofuels contributed roughly 3% and 2%, respectively. Coal accounted for almost 29% of electricity consumption and gas for about 15%, leaving substantial scope for clean electricity to replace fossil generation and reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Turkey?

Electricity consumption per person is growing in Turkey, reaching a new record of about 3,850 kWh in 2026. That is around 61 kWh, or 1.6%, above the previous record set in 2025. Low-carbon electricity generation grew much more strongly, reaching about 2,160 kWh per person—roughly 450 kWh, or 26%, above its previous record in 2024. These are encouraging gains, particularly for clean electricity, although continued expansion will be important to meet rising electricity needs from electrification and AI.

Suggestions

Turkey can build on its already substantial wind and solar generation by expanding both technologies, alongside grids and storage that help deliver their electricity where and when it is needed. Nearby regions offer useful examples: North Macedonia generates 40% of its electricity from solar, while Greece’s Mediterranean neighbour Cyprus and Spain each obtain roughly a quarter from solar. Denmark demonstrates the potential of wind, which supplies 58% of its electricity. Turkey should also develop and expand nuclear generation as a major source of low-carbon electricity. Nearby Bulgaria obtains 36% of its electricity from nuclear, while France’s share is about two-thirds, illustrating how nuclear can anchor a large clean electricity supply alongside growing solar and wind.

History

Turkey’s low-carbon electricity history has been marked by large swings in hydropower, with substantial solar growth emerging more recently. In the late 1980s and 1990s, hydro gains of about 10 TWh in 1988 and 7 TWh in 1993 were offset by declines of 11 TWh in 1989 and 8 TWh in 1999. The 2000s brought increases of roughly 10–11 TWh in 2002 and 2004, followed by an 8 TWh fall in 2007. During the 2010s, hydro rose by 16 TWh in 2010, fell by 19 TWh in 2014, then rebounded by 27 TWh in 2015; another decline in 2017 preceded a 29 TWh increase in 2019. The early 2020s saw worrying hydro losses of 12 TWh in 2020 and 22 TWh in 2021, followed by recoveries in 2022 and 2024. Solar added a welcome 7 TWh in 2024 and 10 TWh in 2025, helping broaden the clean electricity mix as hydro fell by 15 TWh in 2025. Hydropower then delivered an exceptionally strong increase of about 36 TWh in 2026.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.