Turkey unveils candidate zones in the Aegean for its first offshore windfarms

The wind energy areas selected by the Ministry, all of which are in the Aegean Sea are: Gökçeada (Çanakkale), an areas of approximately 75 km2; Bozcaada (Çanakkale), approximately 127 km2; Gulf of Saros (Edirne/Çanakkale), approximately 173 km2; and Edremit Bay (Balıkesir), approximately 125 km2.

All four areas are suitable for the use of bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines and, if fully developed, could support 1.5–2.0 GW of offshore wind capacity.

During the 2026 Turkish Wind Energy Congress in Ankara, it was also confirmed that Turkish Government will launch a ‘YEKA’ tender for 1 GW of offshore wind capacity later in 2026.

In the YEKA framework used in Turkey, the Turkish government identifies zones with high wind potential, secures the necessary environmental permits, and auction them off to private developers through competitive tenders.

Turkey has been planning to launch its first tender for offshore wind capacity for many years, and first tried to do so in 2018. An offshore wind roadmap for Turkey produced by World Bank Group put the country’s technical potential for offshore wind at 75 GW.

Turkey’s rapid growth in recent decades has meant the country has not been able to meet its energy demand through domestic sources alone, and currently relies on imports to meet around 70% of demand. 

World Bank Group said Turkey’s electricity demand is expected to continue growing with an annual compound rate of 3.5%, reaching 511 terawatt hours by 2035, a 67% increase compared to 2020. To meet this demand, Turkey will need to add around 100 GW of new generation capacity by 2035, more than doubling the current generation capacity.