Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are deepening their clean energy partnership with a new milestone – a USD 1 billion solar power project in Nigde Bor. Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, has announced that the development marks a major step in expanding their cooperation within the renewable sector.
The initiative builds on a series of high-level agreements between the two nations, including a USD 27 billion framework signed in 2023 and a memorandum of understanding between Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar and Turkiye’s Ministry of Energy.
Strategic Energy Partnership Deepens
In a post on X, Minister Bayraktar said, “We hosted Mohamed Jameel Al-Ramahi, CEO of UAE-based energy company Masdar, and his accompanying delegation at our ministry.”
Bayraktar confirmed that both sides have reached the final stage of negotiations on the USD 1 billion, 1,100 MW solar power project – known in Turkiye as Güneş Enerjisi Santrali (Solar Power Plant) – in Nigde Bor. Alongside this, potential investments in offshore wind, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission infrastructure, and pumped-storage hydroelectric facilities are also under consideration.
The Turkish energy minister emphasised that his country aims to further strengthen its strategic partnership with the UAE through intergovernmental collaboration on renewable projects.
“Through collaborations that will strengthen our energy vision, we seek to enhance our infrastructure, achieve our 2053 net-zero target, and establish a model transformation in the region,” Bayraktar added.
Supporting Turkiye’s Energy Transition Strategy
Turkiye’s clean energy push forms part of its broader Energy Transition Strategy — an ambitious roadmap aimed at reducing energy import dependence, enhancing energy security, and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2053.
The plan targets expanding the country’s renewable capacity from 30 GW to 120 GW by 2035, a fourfold increase requiring an estimated USD 108 billion in investments. The Nigde Bor solar project highlights Turkiye’s growing focus on accelerating solar adoption through both photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies.
