Turkey sets 2035 electricity share goal and $200 bn energy transition plan at London climate events

Turkey, holding the COP31 presidency, used a series of London events during Climate Action Week to present its energy transition roadmap. Environment Minister Murat Kurum said the country aims to raise the share of final energy consumption supplied by electricity from about 20% today to 35% by 2035, with an overall target that 35% of total energy use will be electrified. The plan includes a $200 billion investment programme to fund renewable generation, grid upgrades and critical‑mineral development, of which $80 billion is earmarked for transmission and distribution infrastructure. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar highlighted that installed renewable capacity is already around 62% of total power mix and will reach about 70% by 2035, with 120 GW of new solar and wind capacity, 5 GW of offshore wind, and a target of 20 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050. The ministers also announced a goal to raise Turkey’s recycling rate from the current 37% to 80% by 2053 and to introduce a waste‑deposit scheme on 1 July. Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek warned of a global climate‑finance gap of roughly $2.5 trillion per year for developing countries, noting that current flows are only about $200 billion annually. He promoted the “Climate Implementation Bridge” to accelerate project financing. The announcements were made alongside international figures such as UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres and UK King Charles III.