Clean Energy for a Clean Future Conference officially starts in Izmir

IZMIR

The outcome of the BEST For Energy Project will not only contribute to the local economy and society in Türkiye's "wind capital", Izmir, but will also be used as a best practice in other countries and regions, Jelena Tadzic, project director at DAI, an international consultancy firm implementing the BEST For Energy Project, said Tuesday.

Speaking at the Clean Energy for Clean Future Conference in Izmir on Tuesday as part of the BEST For Energy Project, Tadzic said DAI is currently implementing over 150 projects in more than 100 countries around the world as part of the consultancy’s vision to encourage communities and societies to become more environmentally sustainable.

She said it is no coincidence that the conference is held in Izmir, which is home to a wide array of resources comprising wind, geothermal and solar energy, putting the province at the center of the nation’s clean energy strategy.

"DAI’s BEST For Energy Project aims at increasing the competitiveness of the clean energy service and equipment industry by upgrading the value created by companies in the Izmir region. What we are doing is actually putting Izmir on a clean energy map," she said.

The project includes a value chain analysis of the wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass sectors, as well as an assessment of the capabilities of 150 companies and industry capability analyses of the clean energy service and equipment industries.

She said the results from these assessments and analyses will not only benefit the local economy but will be used as a template for best practices in other regions and countries.

"I honestly believe that this project will be the best for Izmir," she said.

Onur Gunduru, a board member of the Energy Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (ENSIA), said the BEST for Energy project has helped ENSIA come close to achieving its goal of accelerating the green transformation since the association’s foundation.

Mehmet Yavuz, secretary-general of the Izmir Development Agency (IZKA), which operates under the coordination of the General Directorate of Development Agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, said the agency has recently intensified its work with a focus on green and blue growth, in reference to utilizing ocean resources and clean energy.

Yavuz stressed the renewable sector in the region has reached a very and critical point in terms of both electricity generation and equipment production.

"This project, with a budget of nearly €3 million, is a project designed to produce information for a particular sector and to create this information infrastructure that will enable it to go further in Izmir and the Aegean Region," he said.

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.