While Turkey’s unlicensed solar market is aiming to reach 1 GW of installed capacity by the end of the year, the country’s licensed PV market segment is nearly nonexistent to date. 

Germany-based solar system integrator Phoenix Solar announced today that it had been contracted by a large Turkish conglomerate Akfen Renewable Energies to build the first governmentally licensed PV plant in the country. Together with its Turkish partner Asunim Yenilenebilir Enerji Teknolojileri, Phoenix Solar will install a 10.2 MW solar facility in Elazıg province, Eastern Turkey. 

Since the plant is licensed by the government, it will be built as one large complex instead of an array of single systems, 1 MW each. Technically, it makes this relatively small power plant the biggest in the country. 

Under Turkey's unlicensed solar program, PV plants must be developed in blocks of only 1 MW. One such PV project, a 22.5 MW facility developed by Tekno Ray Solar in the province of Konya, was inaugurated earlier this month.

"We have been building a team of qualified engineers at our new location in Ankara and are looking forward to sustainably expand our business in this fast growing market and the entire region," Head Middle East at Phoenix Solar Klaus Friedl said in the announcement. 

According to the company, Phoenix Solar will carry out all engineering, procurement and project management tasks. Asunim, its Turkish partner have been developing the project over the last four years and will now take on the actual construction. 

„In spite of the difficult terrain conditions, we have already begun with the mobilisation work for the installation and are confident to deliver the project on time,“ said spokesman for Asunim Turkey Umut Gürbüz.

The Elazıg plant is also the first PV project in the country to be backed by the European Development Bank. The solar facility is expected to be completed in September this year. The generated power will be sold to the grid.