Coal supplied about one-third of Türkiye’s electricity in 2025 as the country opened COP31 in Antalya on Monday, promoting a worldwide shift toward greater use of electricity.
The Turkish COP31 presidency wants electricity to account for 35% of final energy consumed worldwide by 2035, up from just over 20% when it announced the goal. Its plan calls for more electricity use in buildings, transport and industry, supported by investment in grids and storage. The initiative is part of the presidency’s agenda; a negotiated COP decision would require agreement among participating countries.
Coal was Türkiye’s largest electricity source in 2025, according to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Its figures put solar’s share at 11.9% and wind’s at 10.8%. Ember estimates that imported fuel supplied roughly two-thirds of the country’s coal-fired electricity that year. The energy research group ranked Türkiye as Europe’s largest coal-fired electricity generator in 2024.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar set a domestic goal of 36% electrification by 2040 in a Nov. 5 presentation. His ministry said Türkiye’s wider energy plans would require $500 billion in publi...