Azernews.Az

By Merve Safa Akıntürk

Türkiye is drawing attention by increasing energy production from waste management. Across the country, facilities generate approximately 3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually from waste, meeting the energy needs of 1.2 million households. This successful application model is serving as an example for countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

At the 11th Energy Efficiency Forum and Fair held in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted landfill gas, stating: “We even convert gas coming from waste into electrical energy and supply it for residential and industrial use.”

Ali Rıza Öner, President of the Waste Management and Energy Generation from Waste Producers Association (TAYED), explained that facilities generating electricity from landfill gas in Türkiye have a total installed capacity of 355 megawatts, producing 2.955 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which meets the electricity needs of approximately 1.2 million households.

Öner emphasized the significance of Türkiye’s progress in energy technologies, stating: “Today, waste is no longer merely material that must be disposed of; it has become a strategic resource that transforms into economic value and energy. Furthermore, the fact that energy delegations from Europe, the Middle East, and many African countries are flocking to Türkiye to use our landfill gas facilities as a model and establish similar plants in their own countries reinforces our pioneering role in this field.”

He reiterated that the electricity-generating landfill gas facilities in Türkiye have a 355-megawatt installed capacity, producing about 2.955 billion kilowatt-hours annually, enough to cover the annual electricity consumption of approximately 1.2 million households. Öner noted that almost all metropolitan municipalities in Türkiye convert gas emitted from solid waste sites into electricity, adding: “These facilities capture methane that could harm the environment, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions while generating economic benefits through electricity production.”

Öner also explained that Türkiye now produces not only electricity from waste but also biomethane (green natural gas), which is directly equivalent to natural gas. He elaborated: “This process is technically called biomethanization. The methane content of biogas obtained from waste or organic materials is around 55 percent on average, whereas the methane content of natural gas is about 95 percent. In biomethane facilities, this rate can be increased up to 99.5 percent. Consequently, the gas obtained can be directly injected into the BOTAŞ transmission system or city natural gas distribution networks. Through this method, Türkiye can both create a local and renewable natural gas source and significantly reduce its carbon footprint.”

Öner added that Türkiye’s technical biomethane potential corresponds to approximately 10 percent of the country’s current natural gas consumption, noting: “The European Union’s mandate to blend biomethane into natural gas networks by 2030 strengthens Türkiye’s need to adapt to this transformation.”