Local and international geothermal industry players converged at GT 2026 in Ankara, Türkiye
With a total of 1500 local and international participants, the GT 2026 held in Ankara, Türkiye was a great success in bringing together geothermal stakeholders.
The GT 26 Türkiye Geothermal Congress was successfully held on February 18-19 at the Ankara Bilkent Hotel and Conference Center, bringing together all stakeholders of the geothermal energy sector of Türkiye with the participation of a total of 1500 people.
The congress began with the opening speeches of Mr. Ufuk SENTÜRK, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Geothermal Power Plant Investors Association (JESDER), and continued with speeches by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Abdullah TANCAN. Mr. TANCAN emphasized that developing domestic and renewable resources in the face of increasing energy demand is a fundamental priority of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, highlighting the development of Türkiye’s geothermal energy sector since 2004 and stating that geothermal energy plays a critical role in energy supply security with its base load characteristics.
Noting that YEKDEM support will continue, TANCAN stated that they expect the sector to increase exploration activities, especially focusing on deep drilling in unexplored fields, to expand the integrated use of geothermal energy in heating, greenhouses, and other areas, and to pay maximum attention to sustainable reservoir management.
GT26 had a high level of international participation, including the Indonesian Ambassador to Ankara, His Excellency Mr. Achmad Rizal Purnama, the Philippine Embassy Consul General Dr. Juan Dayang, the Executive Chairman of the Kenya Geothermal Association (GAK), Zeyruq A. Sheikh, the Legal, Policy and Governance Expert in the Energy field at Kenya Electricity Generation Company (KENGEN), Mrs. Sharon Obonyo, and KENGEN Board Member Anna Mwangi explained the geothermal investments, legislation and incentive mechanisms in their countries and stated that they wanted to increase cooperation with Turkey in the field of geothermal energy.
At GT 26, critical agenda items for the geothermal energy sector were discussed with the participation of public, private sector, academia, and finance circles. The topics included the sustainability of geothermal energy investments, permit processes, environmental legislation, how the Renewable Energy Support Mechanism (YEKDEM) should be updated for the future, domestic production policies, and hybrid plant applications,
The congress highlighted the strategic importance of geothermal energy for Türkiye’s energy supply security and net-zero targets, while also emphasizing the need to align existing regulations with the technical and economic realities on the ground. The balancing role of geothermal power plants in the energy system, with their 24/7 base load production capacity, was among the prominent topics discussed.
The GT 26 Turkey Geothermal Congress went beyond being merely an evaluation platform, offering a strong dialogue where concrete policy recommendations for sector decision-makers were presented. The contacts established during the congress are intended to contribute to opening up opportunities for geothermal energy investments and strengthening the long-term investment climate
The Geothermal Power Plant Investors Association (JESDER) expressed its gratitude to all sponsors, speakers, representatives of public institutions and organizations, country officials with expertise in the geothermal field, sector stakeholders, and guests who contributed to GT 2026 – Türkiye Geothermal Congress. The statement emphasized that sectoral collaborations will continue to be increased in order to strengthen the role of geothermal energy in Türkiye’s clean, domestic, and sustainable energy future.
Photos and presentations from the congress will be published on the congress website in the coming days: www.geothermalturkey.org
Source: JESDER Press Release via our Turkish language platform JeotermalHaberler