Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have signed an agreement to develop 3,000 megawatts of wind power in Türkiye, deepening an energy partnership between the two countries that was first agreed earlier this year. The deal was signed on Monday in Antalya, on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit, and was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The agreement was signed by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. It is a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in electricity, and it represents the second phase of a broader renewable energy programme between the two countries.
The programme began with an agreement signed on 3 February this year, which came into force on 21 October. Under that agreement, the two countries are to develop a total of 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity in Türkiye. The first phase covers 2,000 megawatts of solar power in the provinces of Sivas and Karaman.
The second phase, agreed in Antalya, adds 3,000 megawatts of wind power, together with high-voltage direct-current transmission lines and battery storage. The projects will be implemented by ACWA Power, the Saudi energy and water company, which is one of the largest developers of renewable energy in the Middle East.
The total investment in the programme has been estimated at between $4 billion and $5 billion, making it one of the largest Saudi investments in Türkiye’s energy sector. The projects are expected to create jobs and to strengthen Türkiye’s electricity grid, which is seeking to add large amounts of renewable capacity.
For Saudi Arabia, the deal is part of a wider push to export its renewable energy expertise and to build partnerships with countries that are expanding their clean energy capacity. ACWA Power has become a vehicle for that strategy, developing solar and wind projects across the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.
For Türkiye, the agreement supports its efforts to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels and to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix. Wind power, in particular, has grown rapidly in Türkiye in recent years, and the addition of 3,000 megawatts would be a significant expansion.
The signing took place during COP31, the United Nations climate conference being held in Antalya from 10 to 12 November, where world leaders and energy ministers are discussing how to accelerate the transition to clean energy. The Saudi–Turkish deal is one of several energy agreements announced on the sidelines of the summit.
The two countries have also been building closer political and economic ties, and the energy agreement is the most concrete outcome of that rapprochement in the power sector. Officials on both sides said the programme would proceed in phases, with the solar projects in Sivas and Karaman coming first.
No timetable has been given for the completion of the wind projects, but the scale of the commitment — 5,000 megawatts in total — makes it one of the largest bilateral renewable energy programmes in the region. Further details on the individual wind sites and the transmission infrastructure are expected as the projects move into development.
