Icelandic companies and experts are willing to come to Turkey to invest in geothermal energy besides giving advise on geothermal, said Iceland’s Minister of Industry and Commerce on Sunday.
'Turkey should think and look very carefully into its geothermal potential. In the last maybe 5 years , there has been an increase of usage of geothermal in the country,' Agnheidur Elin Arnadottir, the Icelandic minister, told Anadolu Agency.
Arnadottir stressed that Turkey uses almost the same amount or utilizes the same amount of megawatts as Iceland pointed out that Turkey is a much larger country than Iceland.
'Geothermal potential for Turkey is around 30,000 megawatts, if everything would be utilized. So, there is an enormous potential and I know that we have some Icelandic companies and engineering firms working with Turkish companies to examine some potential,' she said.
30,000 megawatts of energy can heat around 3 million households.
She reminded that Turkey is a net energy importer and said that what is the beauty of the geothermal is it is a domestic, secure and stable energy resource.
'Iceland is ready willing to come in and give advise to both Turkish authorities and Turkish energy companies. We have Icelandic experts waiting in line,' she noted.
The Minister said Iceland’s energy situation is very different from most countries as 99 percent of houses in Iceland are heated with renewable energy.
In 2014, roughly 85 percent of primary energy use in Iceland came from indigenous renewable resources, of which 66 percent was from geothermal. Oil meets 13 percent of primary energy need in the country.
All electrical energy in Iceland is produced by renewable energy resources, 71 percent hydro and 29 percent geothermal.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
murat.temizer@aa.com.tr