The MoU aims to boost renewable energy growth and facilitate technology transfer between the two countries. Credit: Tereliuk Daniil/Shutterstock.com.

China and Türkiye have reached an initial agreement for Beijing to invest up to $15bn in the construction of solar and wind power plants on Turkish soil.

The signing of the agreement was announced by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed by the national energy administrations of both countries, was formalised on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

The agreement sets out plans for a combined 7GW of new solar and wind energy capacity to be developed in Türkiye.

On social media platform X, Bayraktar indicated that the MoU covers the establishment of new energy storage systems and an electricity transmission capacity of 4GW.

Bayraktar wrote: “This cooperation will expand our renewable energy capacity and enable technology transfer, supporting the production of wind turbine equipment in Türkiye and making a significant contribution to the development of our domestic industry.

“In line with our National Energy 2040 Vision, this historic agreement will strengthen our energy security and accelerate our green transition. I wish both our countries every success in this partnership.”

The China–Türkiye MoU comes as Ankara is accelerating efforts to pair renewable generation with grid and storage investment.

According to GlobalData, Türkiye’s Renewable Energy 2035 strategy targets 120GW of installed wind and solar capacity by 2035, while international lenders are already backing transmission upgrades to integrate larger volumes of variable renewable power.

The planned Chinese-backed package would therefore complement Türkiye’s wider push to reduce fossil fuel import dependence, strengthen energy security and localise clean-energy manufacturing.

Earlier this week, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced plans to invest $6bn in projects under the Türkiye Renewable Energy Acceleration and Clean Transition (REACT) platform over the next five years.

The EBRD made the announcement as it became one of the initial signatories to REACT during an event at COP31 in Antalya.

REACT was established with the involvement of Türkiye’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, bringing together various international stakeholders. The platform aims to mobilise up to $300bn in investment across the country’s renewable energy sector by 2040.