Turkey has introduced incentives and regulations to reach a storage target of 80 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2030, while energy sector deals to create cell and battery factories have topped 1 billion dollars (TL 35 billion) this year, according to an official from a local association involved in the battery sector on Monday.

Energy storage systems, emerging as new players in installed capacity, and the accompanying battery sector, are attracting growing investment and interest globally.

Currently, Turkey is home to two cell production facilities and nearly 100 lithium-ion battery production facilities of various scales that are actively operating.

Aiming to establish a capacity of 80 gigawatt hours by 2030, the country aspires to become a regional hub for production and investment in battery technologies.

In July, the government announced the “HIT-30” investment program, which provides comprehensive support and incentives for special projects in high-priority technology areas and develops tailor-made solutions for specific needs.

Following the announcement of the program, the battery sector saw considerable growth, with new agreements signed by national and international companies.

Kadem Usta, President of the Association of Battery Manufacturers and Suppliers (PILDER), assessed recent developments in the battery sector during the year in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).

Usta said that 2024 witnessed critical progress, both in the global and Turkish battery sectors.

“Globally, measures to integrate renewable energy sources and recycling have come to the forefront, while in Turkey, incentives and HIT-30 investment projects have been the main drivers of the support for the sector,” Usta said.

“As part of the HIT-30 incentives, significant support for battery production and energy storage systems was announced. These incentives accelerated investments in the sector,” he added.

Furthermore, he highlighted that six agreements signed this year between domestic and foreign companies would establish new factories with cell and battery production capacities of up to 5 gigawatt hours in cities including Ankara, Kocaeli, Istanbul and Izmir.

“Deals signed this year have exceeded $1 billion. With six new investments nationwide, the total number of battery production facilities will increase to 11,” he said.

Stressing that the legal infrastructure for the operation of battery and energy storage power plants has not yet fully taken shape, Usta noted that a draft regulation has been published, but the first approvals are awaited in 2025.

He noted that high interest rates had hurt investment decisions during the year, but noted that steps had been taken to achieve long-term investment goals.

Furthermore, Usta said that battery imports from Türkiye are expected to remain at the same level as in 2023, amounting to around $1.1 billion. In contrast, battery export volumes are expected to increase from $39 million to $48 million by the end of the year, marking a significant increase.

He also recalled that the Battery Technologies Summit 2024, organized by PILDER, brought together national and international companies, describing the event as “highly productive”.

“Global battery companies also participated in the summit, creating opportunities for information sharing and business collaboration. The highly productive summit further strengthened Turkey’s position in the battery sector,” he said. note.

Addressing the sector’s expectations for the coming year, Usta said: “From 2025, more companies, both domestic and international, are expected to join the sector through partnerships. These developments demonstrate the significant potential to improve Turkey’s energy independence and competitiveness in the sector. global market.”

He also announced that PILDER will organize the Battery Technology Summit in October 2025 in Gebze IT Valley, inviting anyone interested in keeping pace with developments in the battery sector to attend.

The Sabah Daily News Bulletin

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