Türkiye’s National Energy Plan 2040 falls short without commitment to phase out fossil fuels

The new energy strategy signals progress on electrification and renewables, it continues to incentivize coal investments, plans to increase gas and oil investments, and risks locking Türkiye into costly nuclear energy.

Türkiye’s National Energy Plan 2040 fails to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis, as it sets out plans to expand electrification and renewable energy but states that new gas and oil investments will be increased and provides no clear commitment or timeline to phase out coal, warns climate campaign group 350.org. While the plan includes positive ambitions to accelerate electrification across industry, housing and transport, and increase renewable energy capacity, its failure to address coal dependence represents a major gap in Türkiye’s energy transition. The country continues to generate around one-third of its electricity from coal, with approximately 60% of that coal imported.

Rather than setting out a pathway to move away from coal-fired power, the plan risks maintaining or increasing coal generation capacity, undermining Türkiye’s long-term net-zero ambitions and its contribution to global climate action.

Efe Baysal , Türkiye Team Lead of 350.org said:

“Türkiye’s National Energy Plan 2040 contains some positive steps, particularly its emphasis on electrification and expanding renewable energy capacity. These ambitions align with the messages coming from Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency. But ambition must be matched by action, and without a clear commitment and timeline to phase out coal, the plan falls fundamentally short of what the climate crisis demands.

“Coal still accounts for around a third of Türkiye’s electricity generation, with 60% of that coal imported. Despite this dependence, the plan fails to set out a pathway to end coal use, instead leaving the door open to continued reliance on fossil fuels. Türkiye must end public subsidies for coal, halt new coal projects,establish a clear timeline for a just and equitable transition away from coal and develop a strategy to transition away from all other fossil fuels.

“We are also deeply concerned by the continued push for nuclear energy, including proposed new plants in Sinop and Thrace. Nuclear power is expensive, risky and slow to deliver. Investing in it risks diverting resources away from the cheaper, faster and safer renewable energy solutions that Türkiye urgently needs to scale up.

“Türkiye has enormous potential to build an energy system powered by 100% renewable energy. But this transition must also be just: protecting workers and local communities, respecting nature and ensuring that the costs and benefits are shared fairly. As host of COP31, Türkiye has an opportunity to show genuine climate leadership. That means moving beyond long-term ambitions and committing to a rapid, fair and nature-positive transition away from coal and towards renewable energy.”

350.org emphasised that the transition to renewable energy must go beyond replacing fossil fuels with new energy infrastructure. It must protect the rights and livelihoods of local communities, ensure that economic benefits are shared fairly and prevent the costs of the transition from falling disproportionately on low-income households.

The organisation also called for stronger protections for workers, human rights and ecosystems throughout the extraction and processing of critical minerals, alongside safeguards to ensure that sensitive natural areas are protected from destructive mining activities.

ENDS