Ahead of the Climate Council to be convened on 21-25 February 2022, IKV issued a joint call with the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) and the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC). The summary of the call which states that Turkey should gradually phase out coal in electricity generation by 2035 at the latest in order to achieve its 2053 climate goals, is given below. The entire text (in Turkish) is available here.

As three organisations that compile data, generate information and develop strategies for designing Turkey's development policies, we shared our observations on the global green transformation agenda on 8 March 2021 and listed our recommendations for Turkey not to miss out on the green transformation. The statement in question can be accessed here.

We see that our call has been reciprocated and we welcome the developments regarding the ratification of the Paris Agreement, which was a point made in our call, as well as the determination of an ambitious reduction target namely reaching net-zero by 2053. We closely follow the process of updating the Nationally Determined Contribution and redesigning industry, energy, agriculture and trade policies accordingly.

Turkey's gradual phase out of coal in electricity generation by 2035 is considered as the most urgent step that will enable Turkey to reach its 2053 target as quickly as possible and support development policies with many additional benefits. We list our observations and requests in this direction below, acknowledging that Turkey's transition to a low-carbon economy can only be possible with inclusive solutions, we openly declare once again that we are ready to fulfil our responsibilities and work in cooperation with stakeholders.

It is of great importance that Turkey as an EU candidate and Customs Union partner, closely monitors the developments in the EU while planning its coal phase out strategy. Under the "Fit for 55" package prepared by the European Commission with the aim to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, 40% of energy is to be retrieved from renewable sources. In this context, many EU Member States have announced their coal phase-out dates. While ten countries have announced they exited coal in 2021, other Member States have committed to exit coal by 2033 at the latest. Four countries are in the process of designing their phase-out plans. Although some Member States, such as Poland, are resisting phasing out coal, the EU encourages phasing out coal and puts pressure on its members, particularly under the “Just Transition” mechanism. It is known that in addition to Turkey being a candidate country with the EU being Turkey’s top trading partner, it will be significantly affected by practices such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. In this context, determining the exit date from coal in a reasonable time in the process of achieving climate targets and decarbonisation is also critical for the EU process and for the development of relations with the EU.

In line with the 1.5°C target adopted by Turkey as a party to the Paris Agreement and the 2053 net-zero goal, Turkey needs to take the following steps in the short and medium term:

1. Turkey should promptly announce its political intention to completely quit coal as an energy source in electricity generation by 2035 at the latest, and its action plan to achieve this.
2. The government and relevant regulatory bodies should announce an official decision not to build new coal power plants, cancel new coal power plant licenses and plans, and stop new coal mine and mine expansion investments.
3. Existing coal power plants should be shut down by 2035, at the latest, in line with a schedule to be prepared, starting with the oldest and more polluting power plants.
4. In order to close the energy supply gap that will arise with the closure of coal power plants, a gradual transition plan that also takes into account new technologies should be prepared and thus energy supply security should be ensured.
5. The coal phase-out process and sustainable energy transformation should be planned in a participatory manner, and should be designed as a just transition process which will eliminate existing social and economic injustices in addition to supporting the segments of the society that are likely to be adversely affected by the transformation.