Recent energy studies and energy policies in Turkey

Currently, considerable attention has been focused on the energy sources an d energy studies in Turkey. Indigenous energy consumption accounts for 37% of total energy consumption. The Turkish government's investment needs in t he energy sector for the period 2000-2010 will be around 55 billion US doll ars. Of this, about 81% is total planning investments. Conventional financi ng of major infrastructure projects would only increase the amount of forei gn credit, thus the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR) has con ceived other options for financing projects. One option is the so-called Bu ilt, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) model, private investors build and operate private sector generation years, at which point they transfer ownership to the state. In June 1996, MENR introduced the Built, Own, and Operate (BOO) financing model. A major dilemma now faced by Turkey is how to invest in n ew electric power capacity while at the same time adhering to foreign debt ceilings to under lending rules set by the International Monetary Fund. Tur key has to adopt new long-term energy strategies to reduce the share of fos sil fuels in the primary energy consumption. Recently, the development of a lternative energy sources has been a major focus of the research effort in Turkey.