When we look into all of the industrial revolutions that the world has witnessed, we have been tracking the change in energy playing a major role in that. The “rise” of various energy sources had significant impact on the lives of societies. All technological breakthroughs and the current progress in digitalization, which could be composed under the umbrella of the Industry 4.0 indicate that the coming years will also be full of action in terms of energy.

I think we should take two aspects into consideration for the sake of energy efficiency. One of these is climate change. Besides, our energy demand increases considerably due to the requirements of the global economy and rapidly increasing population. Compared to today, global need for electricity alone will increase by 80 percent by 2040. Let me also note that currently 1 billion people have no access to electricity and in time this population will also be included in the energy grid.

The basis for ensuring economic growth for both today and tomorrow is generating sustainable electricity. We can achieve this through the combination of renewable energy and flexible power plants. We can also make energy storage and demand satisfaction mechanisms more dynamic so as to get the best results. Thus, we can generate “reliable and cost-effective sustainable energy”. In addition, we need to include smart platforms and solutions to the process. This will make sure that all infrastructures, be it analogue or digital, can operate in integration and in line with their purposes.

We are customizing these initiatives for Turkey and work tirelessly to offer them to the business world and the society. Globally, we will become a carbon-neutral company by 2030, but here in Turkey, we are already a step ahead. We will achieve this goal by 2023.As Siemens, we generate 10 percent of the renewable energy in Turkey via Siemens turbines. We ensured 260 million TRY savings with approximately 1,100 energy efficiency projects in the last 4 years.

Now is the time to implement the abovementioned principles. This is the way to extend our internal change to the society.

The word “energy” comes from the Greek term “energos”, meaning “active, effective, operating”. In other words, operation of all natural and human-made systems is dependent on energy. As the global population increases and consumption habits change, efficient generation and consumption of such a valuable asset, of course, becomes a critical item on the agenda. That is why I believe that the annual Energy Saving Week celebrated on the second week of every January in Turkey and all awareness efforts for energy efficiency are very important for both individuals and corporations.

As Siemens Turkey, we have many significant practices based upon our energy-efficient products and technologies. In addition to an energy generation portfolio also covering renewable resources, we focus on efficiency in consumption as well. Not only with the efficiency practices at our own facilities, mainly in our Gebze factory, but also with the solutions we offer to our customers, we contribute to improving energy generation and consumption processes in Turkey. I am very much proud and happy to announce that these efforts yielded 260 million TL energy savings in approximately 1,100 energy efficiency projectsin the last four years.

I believe that real progress in civilization is needing less energy for a certain process, not generating and consuming more energy. And this can only be achieved by planning all production operations with a focus on energy efficiency even at the R&D phase. Energy is critical for our planet, just as water or air is. Protecting energy means protecting our future.

It is also important to remember that everything starts with the “individual”. Individual efforts are as much needed as the corporate ones for energy awareness. On the occasion of Energy Saving Week, I would like to thank all Siemens Turkey employees for their attention and care, as members of a company that positions sustainability as a fundamental value.

We are running on a busy agenda. In a world that changes rapidly, we encounter several different topics every day and deal with many of them personally.
That is exactly why our priorities also change rapidly. Sometimes I find myself questioning what topic to prioritize or what to comment on.
But I notice that, except for the pillars of our economy, the only aspect that remains constant even though everything else changes is again and always TRUST.
The concept of economy is a critical topic that affects the lives of everyone and TRUST is the foundation of the economy.
I think it is worth remembering an article I had written on February 12, 2014, about trust.
Renewable Energy has been one of the most popular topics in our country this week.
As Siemens Gamesa-Türkerler-Kalyon joint venture, we won the tender for the 1,000 MW Wind Power Renewable Energy Resources Areas (YEKA) tender of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
We have been deemed worthy of carrying out the most important wind project of our country.
Beyond the honor of winning such an important tender, this also reminds me of the great responsibility we assume. I am fully confident that we will fulfill this responsibility with our know-how, expertise, technology, and the experience we gained throughout our 160-year journey in Turkey.
Renewable Energy is a key area of investment for our country in all respects.
If we want to have an independent energy portfolio, we need to have an extensive range of energy sources and particularly focus on “Renewable Energy”.
I would like to thank our government for their visionary approach and for establishing such an investment environment.

I know that the country’s agenda is filled with sad incidents. Unfortunately, we watch all that’s happening with a heavy heart. Yet I cling to the hope that our country will once again overcome these hard times and in the name of long-term thinking, I would like to point out an important issue: Why is liberalization important to investors in a country that wishes to continue consistent growth?

We are all aware of our need for energy as a growing and developing country. Those who follow me on various platforms would know that I always advocate the idea of benefiting from a wide range and a balanced portfolio of energy sources. And now, due to certain issues, I need to focus especially on one pillar of this portfolio: Natural gas industry.

First of all, let’s remember what makes natural gas combined cycle plants so important in the diversity of energy sources: These plants can rapidly replace renewable power plants when energy demand is high or renewable plants cannot generate electricity due to seasonal reasons; can perform secondary frequency controls; and most importantly, are accepted as a clean energy source. Therefore, they should have a strong place in the energy network our country needs.

However, natural gas and electricity industries have recently been discussing some problems. In almost all meetings with our customers and various stakeholders of the industry, especially the problems in natural gas power plants are mentioned. The media often covers the news that due to the troubles experienced by investors, installed natural gas power plants are disassembled and taken abroad. This is a serious loss for our country and future in a time when we try to make Turkey an attractive environment for investments.

We agree with the industry’s prominent figures that liberalization should be rapidly completed and that this bottleneck in the electricity and gas industry can be overcome with the Azeri gas to be transferred to our country via an international pipeline project like Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP). When the bottleneck is overcome, we will have more local and foreign investments in Turkey. Thus, employment will increase, and it will be easier for us to secure our growth performance. It is vital that we, as a country, keep this as an important part of our agenda.