Turkey's solar tender to come in mid-December - report

Turkey’s solar tender will be held in mid-December, a banker at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) told Bloomberg.

As previously announced by energy minister Berat Albayrak, the winners will have to meet strict domestic content requirements, with the use of made-in-Turkey equipment being mandatory. Andi Aranitasi from EBRD explains, as cited by the news agency, that these rules are intended to encourage investors to build manufacturing plants in Turkey, resulting in new jobs, R&D and know-how exchange.

The tender next month is to award 15-year guarantee of power purchase for about 1 GW of solar capacity at Konya. US and Chinese companies have expressed interest, the Turkish energy minister said recently.

Bloomberg quoted Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), as saying that the price cap of USD 80 (EUR 75) per MWh is not that high, given the strict rules in the tender, so it is unlikely to attract many bids.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!