Turkey just added 300 megawatts of wind in three months.
According to Ibrahim Erden, head of the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB), Turkey’s Q1 2026 wind investments hit roughly $350 million, building on a 2025 year that already pulled in over $2 billion for more than 2 GW of new capacity. Erden projects 2026 additions at 2.5 GW, implying total investment of $2.5 billion. Erden projects annual wind installations climbing to 4 to 5 GW by 2028 and 2029. Solar tells a parallel story, scaling from about 40 MW in 2014 to over 25 GW by January 2026, and in January Erden said he expected Ankara to issue its first offshore wind tenders by year end.
What to look for
Watch whether the first offshore tenders actually arrive this year, and watch for ripple effects on wind component supply chains. We read investment at this scale as Turkey positioning itself as a manufacturing and export hub for wind into MENA, the Caspian, and southern Europe.
What it means for MENA
Turkey’s trajectory sets a clean benchmark for the region’s emerging wind markets. If Turkey reaches 4 to 5 GW annually by 2029, I think it will show that a market next door to MENA can absorb large-scale wind buildouts year after year. My expectation is that Turkish supply chains, EPC firms and project finance structures will cross into MENA wind projects more often through 2027.
Which MENA wind market are you watching most closely right now?
