IEA says grid flexibility and efficiency matter as Türkiye’s electricity demand grows

The International Energy Agency’s Türkiye 2026 review, released on 4 September, was prepared with the Turkish government. It says electricity demand grew by an average of almost 5% a year from 2005 to 2024. The National Energy Plan expects demand to keep rising through 2035, although at a slower pace.

Renewables supplied 43% of Türkiye’s electricity generation in 2025, and the plan projects a 55% share by 2035, according to the IEA. The agency says expanding wind and solar will increase the need for transmission capacity, storage, demand-side flexibility and market rules that support reliable system operation.

The review says coal supplied one-quarter of total energy supply and more than one-third of electricity in 2024. Türkiye consumed about 120 million tonnes of coal in 2025, making it Europe’s largest coal consumer. The IEA recommends a planned transition framework that also considers communities affected by changes in the coal industry.

Other recommendations address energy-efficiency finance and delivery, investment and market arrangements for grid flexibility, viable financing for nuclear projects, and policy coordination across energy security, climate and industrial competitiveness. These are the IEA’s policy recommendations, not newly adopted government decisions.