Turkey - stuck in the twentieth century

Turkey enters 2017 with an energy strategy that looks increasingly anachronistic

The ill-effects of Turkey's failure to modernise its energy strategy could start to be felt in 2017. As economic growth and energy demand continue to accelerate, the country's strategy for meeting the needs of today's energy consumers looks more like one crafted for the previous century. Political stability, under the single-party government of President Tayyip Erdogan, seemed to establish a platform for energy-market reforms. But, since 2012, the will to modernise the country's energy strategy seems to have vanished. Now, the thrust of energy policy is boosting the share of domestic coal in the energy mix and curbing over-dependence on natural gas. Imported coal generated 15% of Turkey's el