Turkey Defines Areas for First Offshore Wind Energy Auction

offshore wind farm — Turkey is preparing to offer four areas in its first offshore wind tender

The Turkish government is pushing forward with its efforts to launch its first offshore wind energy tender in 2026. They defined the first zones that will be offered as the country continues to expand its onshore use of wind energy as part of its overall renewable energy strategy.

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources posted the country’s first offshore wind Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA) on its website. It reports that, as a result of studies it has conducted, a total of four areas in the Saros Bay, Gökçeada, Bozcaada, and off the coast of Edremit have been identified as candidate Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA). Detailed studies have begun to declare these areas as YEKA based on offshore wind energy. All four are located in the western parts of Turkey in the Aegean and near the border with Greece.

The minister told the audience at the Turkey Wind Energy Congress that they planned to offer tenders for 1.5 GW of capacity this year. Going forward, their goal will be for 2 GW of additional capacity each year. He said the government is committed to investing $30 billion by 2035 in its transmission infrastructure.

"We aim to reach a capacity of 5,000 megawatts in offshore wind energy by 2035," said Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar. “Our country has significant potential in this field,” he said, reporting that they were working to complete the permitting process.

The minister highlighted that Turkey's total installed power capacity exceeds 125 GW, while highlighting that more than 60 percent comes from renewable sources. Onshore Turkey, as of early 2026, exceeded 15 GW of wind energy capacity. Wind power already accounts for about 11 percent of the country’s energy production.

By 2035, Turkey forecasts that it will have a capacity of 120 GW coming from wind and solar energy.