ISTANBUL
Anadolu Agency's 'Energy Terminal' project will be immensely significant in terms of providing qualified information from the Turkish energy market, a German energy official said on Friday.
Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia state's energy ministry nuclear technology department manager, Michael Gessner, spoke to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the sidelines of the 20th International Energy and Environment Fair and Conference (ICCI 2014) in Istanbul, whose main media sponsor is the Anadolu Agency.
He congratulated Anadolu Agency for its upcoming 'Energy Terminal' project and said it would fill a real gap in terms of delivering information from Turkey to the global energy market.
The Anadolu Agency will soon launch an English-language online terminal featuring news on domestic and global energy markets. It will provide its subscribers with immediate data and news reports, as well as expert opinions.
- EU should open energy chapter with Turkey
Gessner praised Turkey's recent accomplishments in energy sector, and said, "Turkey is avoiding some of the faults we made. For example, Turkey's controlled progress in extension of renewable energy sector (RES) by giving licenses to the investors is really an impressive step."
Gessner added that Germany expanded the RES without any regulation despite the difficulties it could cause regarding grid stability and energy prices.
He said Turkey had a very special role for Europe and for Germany in particular and called on the European Union to open the Chapter 15 -- which focuses on energy issues -- in Turkey's membership process.
The Greek Cypriot administration is the sole EU member blocking the opening of the chapter.
- Turkey can relieve Germany's burden
Gessner said most EU countries depend on Germany as they do not have enough gas storage capacities.
With Turkey carrying gas to Europe, the EU can diversify its resources, therefore Turkey can reduce Germany's burden in guaranteeing EU's gas supply, he said.
Gessner said his officials and energy sector representatives from his state participated in the conference aiming to create an energy market that works well together with Turkey.
- Germany to shut down its nuclear plants
Speaking on Germany's energy investments, Gessner said Germany as a country with enough gas in its stores won't invest in natural gas power plants for the next 4 to 5 years.
He said natural gas investments would be necessary and possible again in the medium term, but he cleared out, "We will have shut down our last nuclear plant by 2022."
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