Coal occupies an unusual position in Turkey’s energy sector. The country has extensive lignite resources and has long treated domestic coal as a tool for reducing dependence on imported energy. However, much of Turkey’s lignite has a low heating value, while imported hard coal produces a larger share of coal-fired electricity than domestic fuel.
This creates two connected coal systems. Mines in central, western and southern Turkey supply lignite directly to nearby thermal power plants. Coastal power stations, steel producers and other industrial users depend more heavily on imported hard coal. Together, these systems keep coal among Turkey’s largest sources of electricity, even as solar, wind, hydropower and nuclear energy gain greater importance.
Turkey’s Coal Resources Are Dominated by Lignite
Turkey has an estimated coal resource of approximately 22 billion tonnes. Around 20.5 billion tonnes consist of lignite and asphaltite, while hard coal represents only about 1.5 billion tonnes. The scale of the resource is significant, but its quality varies considerably. Most Turkish lignite has a relatively low heating value, which limits how far it can be transported economically.
For this reason, many lignite mines and power stations operate as integrated systems. Coal is extracted close to the plant and moved by conveyor, truck or short railway connections rather than entering a wider national or international market.
Important lignite-producing areas include Soma in Manisa Province, Tunçbilek and Seyitömer in Kütahya, Çayırhan near Ankara, Yatağan and Milas in Muğla, and the Afşin-Elbistan basin in Kahramanmaraş. These areas developed around large thermal power stations and became important local centers of mining employment, electricity production and supporting services.
Afşin-Elbistan is the most prominent example. The basin contains several billion tonnes of low-calorie lignite and supplies the Afşin-Elbistan A and B power stations. The coal has a low energy content, but the size of the deposit and its proximity to large generating units have made it strategically important.
Turkey produced about 88.9 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal in 2024. Lignite accounted for almost 87 million tonnes, while domestic hard-coal production remained below 1.5 million tonnes. This difference shows why domestic coal policy is largely a lignite policy rather than a broad effort to compete in the international hard-coal market.
Imported Coal Generates More Electricity Than Domestic Coal
Coal produced approximately 122.7 terawatt-hours of electricity in Turkey during 2024, equal to about 35.4% of national generation. Imported coal-fired plants generated roughly 75.4 terawatt-hours, compared with 47.3 terawatt-hours from domestic lignite, hard coal and asphaltite.
The figures reveal the central contradiction in Turkey’s coal strategy. Domestic lignite is promoted as a national resource that supports energy security, yet imported coal provides most of the electricity generated from coal.
Imported-coal plants are generally located near the coast, where fuel can arrive by bulk carrier. Their access to higher-quality coal allows them to achieve stronger operating performance than many older lignite plants. The largest facilities have become major sources of baseload electricity, especially when hydropower output falls or electricity demand rises.
Coal’s share of Turkish electricity declined to 33.6% in 2025, but it remained the country’s largest individual generation source. By April 2026, coal represented 17.6% of Turkey’s installed electricity capacity. The country had 68 coal-fired plants, including 47 lignite plants, 16 imported-coal plants, four hard-coal plants and one asphaltite facility.
Coal’s generation share is much larger than its capacity share because many coal plants operate for longer periods than solar, wind or seasonal hydropower facilities. This also means that changes in coal-plant utilization can have a large effect on national electricity emissions.
Hard Coal Connects Power Generation with Heavy Industry
Turkey’s limited domestic hard-coal production is concentrated in the Zonguldak Basin on the Black Sea coast. Zonguldak has a long mining history, but difficult underground conditions, high production costs and limited output prevent domestic mines from meeting national demand.
Imported hard coal therefore serves several markets. Thermal power plants consume a large volume, while steelmaking, cement production, industrial boilers and coke manufacturing create additional demand. Turkey consumed approximately 109 million tonnes of coal and coal products in 2025, including lignite, asphaltite, hard coal and coke.
The steel sector is particularly important because metallurgical coal cannot be replaced directly by the low-grade lignite used in many Turkish power stations. Turkey’s large steel industry therefore remains exposed to international coal prices, shipping costs, exchange-rate movements and trade conditions.
This industrial dependence means that a decline in coal-fired electricity would not automatically end Turkey’s coal imports. Electricity, iron and steel, cement, and other high-temperature industries have different technical requirements and may move away from coal at different speeds.
Domestic Coal Policy Faces an Economic Trade-Off
Successive Turkish energy policies have emphasized the use of domestic resources. In principle, lignite can reduce spending on imported natural gas and hard coal. It can also support employment in mining regions and provide dispatchable electricity when weather-dependent generation is low.
However, domestic lignite does not offer a simple form of energy independence. Low heating values mean that large volumes must be mined and burned to generate electricity. Mine expansion, land acquisition, water management, waste disposal and power-plant maintenance can add substantial costs. Older generating units may also operate less efficiently than newer imported-coal plants.
Coal support must therefore be measured against other domestic energy options. Turkey has expanded solar and wind capacity rapidly, retains a large hydropower fleet and is developing nuclear generation. These sources can also reduce fossil-fuel imports without creating the same level of carbon emissions.
The comparison is becoming more important as electricity demand grows. Turkey produced nearly 363 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, and official planning expects consumption to rise further through 2030 and 2035. Meeting that demand will require new generation as well as grid, storage and flexibility investments. The main policy question is no longer whether Turkey needs more electricity, but which resources can provide it at the lowest long-term economic and environmental cost.
Coal Plants Face Rising Environmental and Trade Pressure
Coal remains the most carbon-intensive part of Turkey’s electricity mix. It also contributes to local air pollution, mine waste, water use and land disturbance. These impacts are especially important around major lignite basins, where mines and power stations are concentrated close to towns, farmland and water resources.
Turkey has adopted a national net-zero emissions target for 2053, but it has not established a near-term national coal phase-out date. Its energy planning instead assumes a gradual decline in coal’s share of electricity generation.
International trade creates an additional source of pressure. The European Union is Turkey’s largest export market, and the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism increases the importance of carbon intensity for products such as iron, steel, cement, aluminium and fertilizer. Turkish manufacturers that use coal-intensive electricity or production methods may face higher costs when serving European customers.
This creates a link between power policy and industrial competitiveness. Even where coal remains available and technically reliable, its emissions can affect the cost of Turkish goods in international markets.
Turkey Is Planning a Gradual Reduction Rather Than a Rapid Exit
Turkey’s National Energy Plan expects coal-fired generation to lose market share as renewable and nuclear capacity expands. The plan also allows coal plants to remain available for system security, reserve capacity and flexibility until the end of their technical lives.
This approach points toward a long transition. Coal plants may generate fewer hours each year without closing immediately. Some newer imported-coal facilities may remain competitive for longer, while older lignite units could face increasing maintenance, fuel-quality and environmental costs.
Official planning has also considered additional domestic coal capacity, including projects linked to undeveloped lignite resources. However, new coal development must compete with falling renewable costs, storage investment, nuclear generation and the financial risks associated with future carbon regulation.
Turkey’s coal sector is therefore unlikely to disappear quickly, but its role is changing. Domestic lignite will continue to support several mining regions and power stations, while imported coal will remain important to electricity and heavy industry. Over time, coal’s position will depend less on the size of Turkey’s resources and more on plant economics, industrial demand, environmental policy and the speed at which lower-carbon alternatives can provide reliable power.
