On August 30, 2026, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye, Alpaslan Bahitar, jointly raised the signed agreement text with the Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, at the press conference. This agreement promises that Saudi Arabia will invest in the construction of 3 GW of renewable energy installed capacity in Türkiye, bringing the total scale of planned cooperation between the two countries to 5 GW. From natural gas in the Black Sea to sunshine in the Anatolian Plateau, an energy transition across the Middle East is accelerating.

Saudi Arabia Settles in Türkiye with US $2 Billion

In February 2026, Saudi Arabia announced that it plans to invest US $2 billion to build a 1 GW solar power plant in Sivas Province in eastern Türkiye and Karaman Province in central Turkey. After the two power plants are put into operation, they can meet the power demand of 2.1 million households. BAIRITAR said that this is one of the most important foreign direct investment projects in Türkiye's energy field. The funds are fully financed through external financing, and international financial institutions will also provide credit support. Saudi Arabia's choice of Türkiye as an important overseas renewable energy investment town is not only a geopolitical consideration, but also a win-win layout of technology output and capital allocation.

Comprehensive acceleration of renewable energy in Türkiye

At present, the total installed capacity of wind power generation in Türkiye is 42 GW, and the solar power generation capacity doubled from 2023 to 2026, but only accounted for 10.5% of the total power generation. Hydroelectric power still ranks first with about 17%, wind and solar power combined account for about 22%, coal still accounts for 34%, and two-thirds rely on imports. In July 2026, Türkiye will start the bidding of 2.4 GW of wind power, including 1.5 GW of wind power and 900 MW of solar energy, which will be distributed along the line from Istanbul to Izmir, Sivas and other provinces. The bidding deadline is October 13, 2026. The government plans to add at least 2 GW of wind and solar installations annually through annual bidding, achieving the goal of connecting 120 GW to the grid by 2035 ahead of schedule. Bahaitar predicted that solar energy will surpass hydropower as Türkiye's largest power source by the end of 2026. Keywords: Middle East news and information, new energy, natural gas, wind power, photovoltaics

Black Sea Gas and Energy Hub Strategy

The local natural gas production in the Black Sea region is expected to double by 2026 and further double by 2028. Türkiye's oil production has tripled, its natural gas production has increased eight times, and its mineral exports have increased nine times. Pakistan Iraq Thar regards the current geopolitical changes in the Middle East as a historical opportunity for Türkiye to build a major energy hub between the Middle East and Europe - countries are seeking diversification of energy supply routes. Türkiye is expected to become the core node of the energy corridor connecting the two regions by virtue of its geographical location and new capacity, attracting more international capital inflows.Editor/Gao Xue