ANKARA
Energy efficiency is a key factor in economic growth, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday.
Realizing an energy-efficient market will help to bring in more income, to increase employment and to aid in development," Yildiz said, speaking at the 6th Energy Efficiency Conference and Fair.
Yildiz pointed out that energy supply security is at risk, as sufficient investment in energy to increase supply are not being made.
Economizing energy, and using it more efficiently help to ensure supply security, and with it, economic growth, Yildiz said.
The 34th Energy Efficiency Week takes place starting on Jan. 13. The fair is organized to announce the launch of a number of projects that will make a $10 billion savings of energy.
Yildiz pointed out that Turkey's economy is growing, however, having a growing economy does not mean that wasting is justified.
"About $2 trillion in investments in energy are needed annually to make a better world for to the next generation. Last year it was $1,6 trillion; thus there is a confirmed need for investment in the sector,“ he said.
Energy-efficient machines pay for themselves by consuming less energy. They should also become environmentally friendly, Yildiz said.
The International Energy Agency estimated in its 2035 Outlook that the world needs $38 trillion in energy investment by 2035.
"We are trying to realize projects which do not harm the environment, but rather work in concert with the environment. The world is a whole, and each resource, and each energy resource is significant for the world," he stated.
Everyone from each part of society, including women and children, should contribute to energy efficiency projects and efforts, Yildiz said, adding that only with cooperation will efficiency efforts become possible.
Yildiz also said that Turkey consumes the cheapest natural gas and electricity among EU countries, and that natural gas prices are at the same levels as it they were in 2009.
The Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey's Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources and Information Technology Committee, Ibrahim Halil Mazicioglu, and Renewable Energy General Director Yusuf Yazar and the Chairman of the Energy Efficiency Association İbrahim Caglar also presented speeches on the importance of energy efficiency.
