The MÜSİAD International Energy Summit was held at the MÜSİAD Head Office with the participation of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez. Speaking at the event, MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı announced MÜSİAD's Energy Strategy. In his speech, in which he emphasized the importance of independent and national energy, President Asmalı said, "With its geopolitical position, which has no equal in the world, and the new energy policies being implemented, Türkiye is advancing towards becoming an important energy hub."
The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) held the International Energy Summit with the participation of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez. At the program held at the MÜSİAD Head Office hosted by MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı, International Energy Agency (IEA) President Dr. Fatih Birol, OECD Türkiye Permanent Representative Prof. Dr. Kerem Alkin and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) President Francesco La Camera shared their assessments. At the event, the panel "New Energy Policies: 2023-2053" was held, moderated by MÜSİAD Secretary General Dr. Cihad Terizoğlu, with the participation of Mediterranean Energy Companies Association (OME) Oil and Gas Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sohbet Karbuz, Nuclear Regulatory Authority Vice President Dr. Oğuz Can and MÜSİAD 4th Term President and President of the Natural Gas Appliances Industrialists and Businessmen Association (DOSİDER) Ömer Cihad Vardan. After the panel, where the energy policies of the coming period were discussed, the panel "Investments for a Successful Energy Transition" was held, moderated by Architects and Engineers Group President Bülent Şen, with the participation of MÜSİAD Energy and Environment Sector Board Chairman Altuğ Karataş, Eksim Holding General Manager Sabahattin Er and OECD Permanent Delegation Energy Counsellor Barış Şanlı.
MÜSİAD has determined 3 fundamental principles with its energy strategy
Sharing the "MÜSİAD Energy Strategy" with the participants at the MÜSİAD International Energy Summit, President Mahmut Asmalı pointed out that independence in energy is possible through the development of domestic and national energy resources. Stating that 3 fundamental principles had been determined within the scope of the MÜSİAD Energy Strategy, President Asmalı said that in this framework domestic, efficient and technology-oriented energy production and consumption, the building of Türkiye's energy industry and a perspective of Türkiye as an independent and reliable energy belt and road had been planned.
In his assessment, President Asmalı made the following statements:
"MÜSİAD, which set out with the dream of a Türkiye that is effective in the economic field and respected in the world, aims, together with its Energy and Environment Sector Board, to reduce the use of conventional energy resources, to expand renewable and clean energy resources and thereby to increase energy efficiency. At the MÜSİAD Visionary21 Summit, we invited the business world to a total struggle against the climate crisis, particularly with the motto 'Take Notice of the Climate'. We believe that the 10-article Climate Manifesto we published will create a different awareness on issues such as sustainable renewable energy, green fuel projection, the circular economy, the digitalization of energy and zero-energy production. We work in cooperation and in great synergy both with our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, with our civil society organizations that develop different projects in this field and with our energy-focused companies. With its geopolitical position, which has no equal in the world, and the new energy policies being implemented, Türkiye is advancing towards becoming an important energy hub."
A "strategy plan" from MÜSİAD that will change the dynamics in energy
Stating that an 11-article strategy plan had been prepared as MÜSİAD within the framework of the fundamental principles determined in the field of energy, MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı said that with the new road map prepared they aim to touch the energy dynamics with a guiding vision in the shaping of the energy policies of the coming period.
President Asmalı listed the articles of the MÜSİAD Strategy Plan as follows:
1-The share of renewable energy in electricity generation must be raised to 75 percent by 2050, and our share of the world renewable energy pie to 3 percent. The bureaucracy for individual renewable energy investments must be reduced to zero.
2-Energy efficiency is a domestic and national energy resource. With the 10-20-40 model, a national energy efficiency mobilization must be declared by providing USD 20 billion in financing for energy efficiency investment over the next 10 years and by setting a target of a USD 40 billion reduction in imported energy through energy efficiency.
3-While we support oil and natural gas exploration activities with all our strength, we propose that natural gas and nuclear energy be granted green fuel status within the scope of climate change targets. In this framework, priority must be given to the production of renewable and low-carbon gases and the development of domestic technologies must be encouraged.
4-In order to reach our greenhouse gas emission targets and to increase our independence in energy, we demand that the share of nuclear energy in total electricity generation be raised to 20 percent within 20 years.
5-We demand that an energy industry strategy be established in a way that will support our domestic and national energy policy. We hope that priority will be given to the development of domestic energy technologies through cooperation among the public sector, universities and industry. Türkiye can become the number one supplier of the EU, which has set a clean energy target, in the production of renewable energy equipment. MÜSİAD, together with its members, is a candidate to take part in this move. In this context, I would also like to state with pride that an investment decision has been taken with MÜSİAD members for photovoltaic panel production.
6-We demand that a national hydrogen initiative capable of generating USD 5 billion per year in exports within 20 years be launched in Türkiye and that a suitable investment environment be created in Türkiye for domestic and foreign capital.
7-We expect the continuation of the will regarding Türkiye, at the centre of three continents, increasing the oil and gas lines passing through its territory and, with the slogan 'Türkiye, the World's Energy Belt and Road', both securing the growing demand in energy and strengthening its position as a stable energy supplier.
8-Energy can turn from an expense item into a revenue item for Türkiye. This transformation requires a young, qualified employment force. Through the work to be carried out, Türkiye must launch an energy employment initiative that will provide 200 thousand new jobs in the energy transition within 10 years.
9-We demand the creation of the legislative infrastructure that will achieve USD 7 billion in energy savings per year within 10 years through transformation in the existing building stock and a financed domestic-production insulation mobilization. With this policy, energy savings, domestic production, economic revival and employment will be provided. This is at the same time an important factor that reduces external dependency in energy.
10-Together with our domestic automobile TOGG, work must be carried out that will supply the energy required for electric vehicles from renewable energy through distributed energy. In this context, increasing incentives and supports for storage technologies is of importance for this transformation.
11-The sustainable supply and security of critical minerals, which is the most important need for the energy transition, is one of our principal items for the transformation.
A country self-sufficient in energy: Türkiye
Speaking at the MÜSİAD International Energy Summit program, MÜSİAD Energy and Environment Sector Board Chairman Altuğ Karataş said that within the framework of the plan determined they aim to contribute to the target of Türkiye as a country self-sufficient in energy.
MÜSİAD Energy and Environment Sector Board Chairman Altuğ Karataş continued his remarks as follows:
"With the MÜSİAD Energy Strategy announced by our President Mahmut Asmalı, we set out our views on Türkiye's future energy clearly. Energy is life; it is the most important need of the age of industry and technology. Türkiye is among the countries least affected to date by the energy crises experienced in many parts of the world, and with its strategic position it possesses the knowledge, accumulation and experience to turn this crisis into an opportunity. We see that a great transformation has begun in energy. Surely there will be those who keep up with this transformation and those who cannot. We believe that this transformation holds great opportunities for Türkiye and that energy is a key from production to employment. As the business world, we want to invest in the future of energy. We have come from being a country that needed foreigners even to extract its energy resources to being a country that establishes its own companies, trains its own engineers and carries out its activities with its own ships. We now produce our own clean energy. And within this framework, obtaining all these technologies entirely with our domestic and national industry, we must continue our necessary work with the target of 'A country self-sufficient in energy: Türkiye'."
