Saudi Arabia and Türkiye Sign Electricity MoU at COP31, Advancing 5 GW Renewables Plan

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a memorandum of understanding on electricity projects in Antalya on November 10, on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit, deepening a bilateral renewable-energy partnership that now targets a combined 5 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA) and Turkish state news agency Anadolu Agency (AA).

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar signed the agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in attendance, QNA reported. The deal builds on a framework agreed during Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia in February, and is implemented through ACWA Power, the Saudi-designated investor on the Turkish side. For background on the company’s wider project portfolio, see The Daily Energy’s profile of ACWA Power.

Two phases, 5 GW in total

The partnership is structured in two phases. The first covers 2 GW of solar capacity at the Sivas and Taseli sites, backed by a reported $2 billion of Saudi investment, with Turkish outlet CNBC-e reporting that first power deliveries are targeted for 2028. The second phase, covering the remaining 3 GW, has been described by Turkish and Gulf trade press as combining wind, solar and storage capacity along with associated transmission infrastructure, though the exact technology mix had not been finalized in public statements as of this week. QNA’s own account of the November 10 signing describes the overall goal as projects “with a combined capacity of 5,000 MW” without breaking out the second phase in detail, so the wind-and-storage composition should be treated as reported rather than confirmed.

Why Türkiye is courting Gulf capital

The agreement arrives weeks after Türkiye unveiled a $500 billion energy plan aimed at eliminating energy imports by 2040, a target that leans heavily on scaling up domestic wind and solar capacity alongside nuclear and grid investment. Saudi Arabia, in turn, has used ACWA Power as a vehicle for renewable-energy investment well beyond its own borders as it diversifies away from oil revenue — the company already operates assets inside Saudi Arabia itself, including the Taiba 1 and Qassim 1 gas plants that started commercial operations in September.

Part of a bigger COP31 push

The signing came on the second day of COP31, which Türkiye is hosting in Antalya and has used to push a target of raising electricity’s share of global final energy demand to 35% by 2035, up from just over 20% today. The Saudi-Türkiye MoU gives that electrification push a concrete bilateral example, though like most COP-linked signings, the step from memorandum to financed, under-construction capacity will depend on follow-on agreements and financing decisions that have not yet been disclosed.

Sources

• Qatar News Agency (QNA), “Saudi Arabia, Turkiye Sign MoU on Electricity Projects,” November 11, 2026 — signing details, signatories, 5,000 MW target.
• Anadolu Agency (AA), “Türkiye, Saudi Arabia to Expand Renewable Energy Projects” — framework background, ministerial attendance.
• Daily Sabah, “Türkiye, Saudi Arabia to Expand Renewable Energy Co-op at COP31” — phase structure, COP31 context.

Illustrative image. Photo: 35_egeturk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons — source