Turkey pushes for transition at COP31 as coal burns

Turkey is using its role as host of the 2026 UN climate summit in Antalya to promote a global shift towards electrification, while its own electricity system remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. The contrast matters because Turkey’s coal use is rising even as it presents renewable energy and energy security as reasons to cut dependence on fossil fuels.

Turkey has approved more than 33 gigawatts of battery storage projects since 2022, while wind and solar now supply 22% of its electricity, up from 4.5% a decade ago. But coal-fired generation rose by about a third over that period, and Turkey has set no date to phase out coal; its climate target allows emissions to rise until 2038, despite a net-zero goal for 2053. Its proposed “35×35” pledge aims to raise electrification worldwide from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035, and Turkey’s reliance on imported gas, oil and coal adds an energy-security motive.