Pumped-Storage Hydropower Target Added to Medium-Term Program

Türkiye’s Medium-Term Program, the government’s economic program covering 2027-2029, was announced on Sept. 6, 2026. In terms of energy policy, the program largely follows the previous plan, which covered 2026-2028.

This year’s program, however, includes a new target: developing the regulatory framework for pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants. It does not specify a deadline for completing this work.

Pumped-storage hydropower first appeared in government planning documents in the 10th Development Plan, covering 2014-2018. Taking into account the Gökçekaya pumped-storage project initiated by the State Hydraulic Works, the plan called for regulations governing the construction and operation of pumped-storage plants in Türkiye, as well as the creation of a road map for their development.

The 11th Development Plan, covering 2019-2023, also set a goal of deploying energy-storage systems, including pumped-storage hydropower plants, to alleviate grid constraints caused by the growing share of renewable energy.

Funding was allocated for Gökçekaya from 2020 to 2024

A study conducted by the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration between 2005 and 2010 found that Türkiye could build 16 pumped-storage plants with a combined capacity of 13,900 Megawatts.
Among them was the 1,400-Megawatt Gökçekaya pumped-storage project, for which funding was allocated under the Public Investment Programs from 2020 through 2024.

The project, part of the investment portfolio of Electricity Generation Co., was expected to be completed and enter operation in 2032 with financing from Japan. Construction was to be carried out through a partnership involving Kalyon Construction and the Japanese companies Itochu and Toshiba.

The project has not been completed, and it was omitted from the Public Investment Programs covering 2025 and 2026.

Generation capacity at existing facilities will be increased

Other targets in the Medium-Term Program for 2027-2029 include increasing the generation capacity of energy facilities through rehabilitation and maintenance, particularly at hydroelectric power plants.

Investments in battery technologies and renewable-energy equipment were also identified as priority areas for attracting foreign direct investment to Türkiye.

As in the previous program, the new three-year plan also calls for measures to expand electricity-storage capacity in order to integrate rising renewable-power generation more effectively into the grid and ensure system reliability.

The target of preparing a National Plan for High-Capacity Charging Stations in the Logistics Sector, which the previous program had scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2026, has also been rescheduled for the second quarter of 2027.