An analysis of the current and future use of natural gas-fired power plants in meeting electricity energy needs: The case of Turkey

• Turkey has heavily dependent on imported energy resources.
• In Turkey, share of NG-fired electricity generation in existing electrical system is 48%.
• Nuclear power and REPs could play an important role in reducing the share of NGPPs in generation.
• NG-fired electricity generation is expected to continue to increase dramatically over the next years.
• For 2023, important steps should be taken to reach 30–30% in NG and renewable energy.

In Turkey as in Europe, the share of natural gas (NG) in the generation of electricity has shown a dramatic increase since the 1990s. Although Turkey faced two economic crises in the last decade, its total electricity generation has increased by 60%. NG consumption was 0.43 bcm in 1987 and reached 40 bcm by 2014. A big fraction of total electricity generation (TEG) is produced from NG. While the NG-based electricity generation was 0.2% in 1985, its share increased rapidly and it has reached to 48% of the TEG in 2014 and share of NG in total thermal power is about 60%. The goal of this paper is to review the historical development of the electricity and NG sectors, and to forecast and review the process of electricity generation with NG. Additionally, this paper compare the use of NG in electricity generation in Turkey and World, and analyze the supply–demand projections and future prospects in the field of energy. Results obtained from the present study show that a diversity of energy resources has not been achieved and as it is today in meeting the increasing energy demand, NG will continue to be a priority in the future.