Turkish, Danish companies discuss more cooperation on clean energy

By Ebru Sengul Cevrioglu

SILKEBORG, Denmark (AA) – Turkish and Danish companies discussed possible areas of cooperation in the energy sector in an event in Denmark on Thursday.

The B2B event, organized as part of BEST For Energy (Boosting Effective and Sustainable Transformation for Energy) project, was held in the Silkeborg city with the participation of the host country's export platform Danish Wind Export Association (DWEA) and a Turkish delegation consisting 20 representatives from clean energy companies and institutions.

Founded in 2014, the DWEA's target is to open and introduce companies in the industry to new markets, Soren Rasmussen, managing director of the association, said at the meeting.

"A lot of things are happening in the wind industry right now. We have supply chain crisis, we have logistic crisis, we have geopolitical crisis and then we have some forecast and some political ambitions. This is not always matching, so we try to monitor the markets, the situation and say where to go next, what to focus on and talk to the companies, talk to the embassies and find out what is the best match for the companies," he explained.

Rasmussen said through tailoring companies' programs year by year, the DWEA aims to create value for the companies joining them.

"So the message also here is; if there is any good ideas, always welcome and come forward to us. We will debate with you whether it is time to go for a little further down the road or it is on the long hall," Rasmussen said.

Joseph Haarb, regional sales director at the Denmark-based Hove A/S, also said the company is planning to invest in Türkiye's Aegean province of Izmir and that they have an agreement that is about to be completed.

"We are looking forward to doing business with Turkish companies and see how we can help Turkish companies and how they can help us," he said.

Soren H. Pedersen, sales manager of Seasight Davits, also stressed that his company was very interested in meeting with Turkish companies in clean energy sector, and on the wind sector the company is open to finding a sub-supplier in Türkiye.

- Türkiye's clean energy ecosystem

Murat Celik, Investment Support Office coordinator at the Izmir Development Agency (IZKA), operating as part of the Directorate General of Development Agencies under the Industry and Technology Ministry, said that the study visit is organized to explore cooperation in clean energy sector between Türkiye and Denmark, especially in the wind energy.

Emphasizing that Denmark plays a leading role in sustainability, combating climate change and, accordingly, in the wind energy sector, Celik expressed said that they are pleased to learn from Denmark's experience and knowledge in the wind energy industry.

"Cooperation can further be established with companies in Türkiye in the fields of wind energy, energy storage, green hydrogen and urban clean energy applications. As Izmir Development Agency, we continue our efforts to establish a Clean Energy Specialized Organized Industrial Zone in connection with Izmir Candarli Port in order to develop the wind industry in Türkiye. This region will also provide an important infrastructure for the production of equipment for offshore wind energy, which is growing rapidly in Europe. We invite Danish companies to invest in the wind industry in Türkiye," he said.

Alper Kalayci, chairman of Energy Industrialist and Businessmen's Association (ENSIA), also said that Türkiye has a developed market for onshore wind farm installations.

Reiterating that the installed power in wind energy is 12 gigawatts (GW), Kalayci said their estimation is that this figure will increase between 2 and 3 GW per annum in the coming years.

"We have no obstacles to transfer our production experience in onshore wind energy to the offshore installations," he suggested.

- Study visit to Denmark

A study visit this week of Turkish clean energy companies and government officials to Denmark, as part of the BEST For Energy project, is seeing the exploration of opportunities for new bilateral partnerships in clean energy and technologies.

The delegation consists of 20 representatives from clean energy companies and institutions in Türkiye, officials from IZKA, ENSIA, Turkish Offshore Wind Energy Association, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and Izenerji.

The European Commission, as part of the Competitive Sectors Program of Türkiye's Industry and Technology Ministry, supports the BEST For Energy project.

Initiated in the third quarter of 2020, IZKA, along with ENSIA, is responsible for implementing the project that focuses on green growth based on environmental sustainability goals.