Eksim Enerji CEO Akbay: "Unveiling Our 1,337 MW Renewable Energy Vision by 2029"

Eksim Energy, which operates under Eksim Holding and focuses solely on renewable energy, shared its new investment targets and the energy sector's agenda with the press during a conference at the Silivri Wind Farm facilities. Arkın Akbay highlighted that Eksim Energy has contributed to Turkey's green transformation for nearly 15 years through investments across the country. "We are working to reduce Turkey's carbon footprint with our currently operational 8 wind farms (RES), 3 hydroelectric power plants (HES), 1 solar power plant (GES), and 1 biomass energy plant (BES) under R&D. We are also progressing with 2 new wind farms, 1 new solar power plant under construction, and 3 new solar plants for which we have obtained pre-licenses and plan to activate next year. Our total installed capacity includes 529.6 MW of wind energy and 63 MW of hydroelectric power domestically. We aim to reach a clean energy portfolio of about 2,100 MW worldwide. Recently, with the approval of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, we have activated 9 additional N163 turbines at our wind farm in Geyve, Sakarya. By year-end, we aim to bring the remaining 5 turbines online, raising our facility's power in Geyve to 150.8 MW," Akbay stated.

The 80 million Euro capacity increase project is in full swing. Akbay noted that this enhancement in capacity not only increases Eksim Energy's installed power but also makes a significant contribution to Turkey's green energy pool. "Currently, we meet the electricity needs of approximately 45,000 households with Geyve RES. However, once our 80 million Euro capacity increase project is completed, this number will reach roughly 125,000 households," he said. Addressing overseas investments, Akbay mentioned, "Part of our installed capacity is in neighboring Georgia. Besides our two hydroelectric power plants that have been actively producing energy for 7 years, we have 5 pending wind projects and one wind project in Ukraine, commenced before the war and ongoing."

"We are committed to reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency for a sustainable future," Akbay emphasized, highlighting the company's principle-driven approach to sustainability. Akbay expressed Eksim Energy's commitment in figures, saying, "In 2023, by producing 1.7 billion kWh of electricity from renewable sources annually just in Turkey and Georgia, we prevent the emission of over 1.1 million tons of carbon equivalents each year." He added that they are making comprehensive investments in innovative technologies. "In the renewable energy facilities we've built across Turkey, we use state-of-the-art equipment from solar panels to wind turbines to maximize production efficiency. Through digital twin and artificial intelligence integration, we optimize energy consumption models in real time and ensure energy savings," he mentioned.

Akbay spoke about Eksim Energy's future goals, stating that by expanding and diversifying their renewable energy portfolio, they aim to prevent 4 million tons of carbon emissions annually. "These efforts, which increase energy production efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint, form the foundation of our long-term growth strategy domestically and internationally. By investing more in integrated energy storage systems at our renewable energy facilities, we will make our production portfolio more sustainable. This will increase our production capacity and offer more reliable and cost-effective energy to consumers," he said. "Eksim Energy views Turkey's 2035 renewable energy policy priorities as its raison d'être and rapidly moves forward as a pioneer in enhancing the security of supply of renewable energy and its derivatives to achieve the 2053 net-zero target and energy independence faster."

"We aspire for everyone to become an ambassador of renewable energy," Akbay emphasized that sustainability can only be achieved through collective consciousness. "To achieve our social and environmental sustainable development goals, we not only invest in technologies that reduce carbon emissions by improving the efficiency and quality of renewable energy production but also prioritize supplier stakeholders who perform well in this area in our processes. We strengthen our communication and collaboration to ensure stakeholders share our vision. In this context, we encourage our suppliers to adopt and implement international standards, and we audit against these criteria. We measure our contributions to the ecosystem from the energy produced from renewable sources and transparently report them to responsible institutions," he explained.

Supporting clean energy production also contributes to prosperity, Akbay noted, addressing the subsidies provided to renewable energy companies in Turkey. "Significant support programs have been provided for renewable energy sources, which have very high investment costs in our country. Thanks to these programs, Turkey has gained significant competencies in renewable energy and has become a prominent player internationally with its equipment production quality. The Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA) investment model has gradually increased the local production rates of production equipment, supporting the development of domestic industry. The Renewable Energy Resources Support Mechanism (YEKDEM) has also seen significant progress in our country. State incentives for renewable resources have allowed average costs to be reduced. Thus, the international competitiveness of our industry has increased. In other words, renewable energy not only contributes to clean energy production but also significantly impacts increasing prosperity," he said.

"The accelerated transition to renewable energy," Akbay touched on global energy trends, underlining that the transition to sustainable energy sources is a global necessity. "Many industry studies predict that by 2030, approximately 46% of electricity will be derived from renewable sources. The United Nations Climate Public Vote results show that a significant portion of the global population desires a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, indicating that the transition to renewable energy will gain significant momentum with accelerated investments and policies in green energy," he mentioned. Discussing the global vision of Eksim Energy, Akbay stated, "With our strategic investments, we aim to build a bridge that will deliver clean energy not just in Turkey but also to other regional countries."