Turkey plans $108 billion power and grid expansion to hit 120 GW by 2035

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar detailed a $108 billion (TL 5.26 trillion) program to expand Turkey’s power generation and transmission infrastructure through 2035, aiming for 120 GW of installed wind and solar capacity. The roadmap earmarks roughly $80 billion for new renewable generation projects and $28 billion for transmission upgrades, bringing the grid length to 77,000 km, an 80 % increase.

Since 2005, the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAŞ) has grown its substations from 512 to 824 and doubled its transformer count, boosting capacity by 226 % to 236,913 MVA. To accommodate rising demand from AI, data centers, EVs and air-conditioning, the plan calls for about 9,580 km of high-voltage direct-current corridors and 15,000 km of new alternating-current lines. Bayraktar said electrification, targeting 35 % by 2035, will be a central message at COP31 in Antalya, where Turkey hopes to showcase its grid-modernisation experience.