In these days when domestic and national weapons are on the agenda, the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) gave the TS EN 61400-1-22 document, which determines the standard of wind turbines, to a local company, Northel Elektromekanik, in the field of wind turbine production.

The 0.3 MW turbine, which was produced using 100% domestic technology, design and all domestic raw materials, became the first national wind turbine to receive the TS EN 61400-1 and 22 document. With this document, the first national and domestic wind turbine was certified, and the fact that TSE was also accredited by the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK) during the project process was met with excitement by the sector. Thus, equivalence with international norms was achieved.

Cem Yalçın, Chief Designer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Northel Mekatronik, stated that all parts of the turbine were approved one by one during the certification process that started in the first quarter of 2016, “If the products designed and made ready for production in a country are documented by the national certification institutions of that country during design and production, that product is national. Other productions are domestic productions produced under license. In line with this purpose, our certification institutions must be internationally accredited in the subjects they will certify. After Türk Loydu, one of our national certification institutions, the Turkish Standards Institute was also accredited by TÜRKAK at the end of this process.”

Nationalization in Energy

Cem Yalçın, who stated that Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak’s emphasis on nationalization in energy has a deep meaning for the sector, said, “We have been designing and manufacturing wind turbines since 2003, but this is the first time we have seen national production supported with such sincerity during this process. We are preparing to start the mass production of turbines with MW and above power, which the Minister targeted, in the first half of 2019. With the document we received, we have also removed a major obstacle in front of the sector. If the support given to domestic production becomes sustainable, the number of companies producing under MW will also increase. The market size in agriculture, municipalities, energy cooperatives, and public enterprises has the capacity to provide work for dozens of turbine companies in our country. Technology will develop in these areas. Thus, many domestic companies will turn to foreign markets such as the United States, Central America, and Africa, and product diversity will be provided in the energy sector, and the way for export will be paved,” he said.