Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The written statement issued by the TOBB Türkiye Mining Council included the following remarks:

“During his visit to Soma on September 5, 2025, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Dr. Alparslan Bayraktar, stated to the press, in summary: They view coal as a very important fuel for Türkiye’s energy supply security, that the coal sector provides significant employment, and that Soma plays an important role in coal production. He also stated that they are working on an incentive package to increase domestic coal production, that new power plants operating with domestic coal will be covered by long-term purchase guarantees under this package, that the use of domestic coal in industry will be encouraged, and that incentives will also be provided to imported coal power plants that have the technical capability to blend domestic coal.

We welcome the extraordinary efforts made in recent years by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and our Minister within the framework of the ‘National Energy and Mining Policy’ to increase energy supply security and the use of domestic resources and achieve energy independence, as well as the fact that the share of renewable energy in total installed capacity has reached 61.1%. 

The global energy sector is navigating like a ship sailing through stormy seas, grappling with both short-term supply security storms caused by geopolitical shocks and long-term climate change policies. The mining sector provides the critical raw materials for this transformation, and the key to success lies in smart strategies that address both security and sustainability simultaneously, without falling into the dilemma of choosing one over the other. This requires the determined continuation of investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, the fair and planned management of the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels, the geographical diversification of energy sources and critical mineral supplies, the acceleration of technological innovation (especially clean coal technologies, energy storage, and recycling), and maintaining the highest environmental and social standards throughout all these processes. Therefore, accelerating the energy transition and ensuring supply security are no longer a choice but a necessity. In this challenging journey, international cooperation, rational policy decisions, and private sector investments supported by government incentives will be the key to reaching the port safely.

Our sector is rapidly implementing the necessary technological investments in line with the spirit of the times, not in spite of the environment, but by complying with global environmental policies, growing in a healthy manner. Our facilities have adopted a policy of using production technologies that comply with international standards and cause minimal environmental pollution.

On the other hand, our lignite reserves, which are a critical raw material for our country’s energy supply security, account for 11,500 MW (domestic coal) of our country’s installed electricity capacity exceeding 120,000 MW. In 2024, 35.2% of our total electricity production will be generated from coal, and we cannot remain indifferent to such a reliable, inexpensive, and readily available energy source. The fact that our country possesses over 20 billion tons of coal reserves, representing our sole underground wealth, and the announcement of a new strategy tailored to our national realities—developed for the first time in a long while by our Minister and presented to the public—has been warmly welcomed by both our sector partners and the TOBB Türkiye Mining Council. As the TOBB Türkiye Mining Council, we support the statements made by our Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Dr. Alparslan Bayraktar, regarding the coal sector and hope that they will be implemented as soon as possible. Respectfully announced to the public.”