Turkish hydroelectric power output peaks at 40%, easing war-related energy pressures

By Can Sezer

ISTANBUL, April 3 (Reuters) - Turkey's hydroelectric plant power production in March nearly doubled from a year earlier to 40%, official data shows, as heavy rainfall helped to ease pressure on the energy bill of one of Europe's largest natural gas importers.

Turkey used 16 billion cubic metres, or more than a quarter, of the natural gas it imported last year for electricity generation, according to market regulator EPDK. Natural gas, along with crude oil, constitutes the largest item in its energy import bill, which was $62 billion last year.

Hydroelectric plants lessen the need for thermal plants to use imported natural gas, which like oil, has seen a global price surge due to the war in the Middle East.

According to data from Turkey’s national energy exchange and market operator EPIAS, the share of hydroelectric power plants in licensed electricity production was only 21% in March last year and amounted to 16% throughout 2025, which was the driest year in five decades.

Elvan Tugsuz Guven, head of Turkey's private hydroelectric power plant operators' body HESIAD, told Reuters the plants will maintain a high share of electricity production until June, unless an extraordinary situation arises.

"We expect the momentum to continue in the short term. It's difficult to say anything about the long term, but we expect production to gradually decline to a 25-30% range by June," she said, compared with a 17% decrease a year earlier.

The share of natural gas power plants in overall production fell to 8% in March from 20% last year due to the sharp increase in hydroelectric production and the contribution of coal-fired power plants.

Guven said the increase in hydroelectric power plant (HPP) production, which was 26% of Turkey's electricity generation capacity at the end of 2025 with 32 gigawatts (GW) of installed power, has replaced natural gas.

"They play and will continue to play a significant role in supply ... and are an important resource to support energy security," she said.

A one percentage point increase in HPP production can save more than $300 million annually, Guven said.

About two-thirds of Turkey's 32 GW of installed HPP capacity are reservoir-type plants that can produce electricity year-round, while the remaining third are run-of-river type plants with very limited water storage capacity.