I am pleased to present to you the first issue of our new Report Series. The series aims at concise yet thorough treatment of an infrastructure topic of policy relevance for Turkey and the region. We plan to publish two such Reports every year.
This first issue is dedicated to Turkey’s energy transition. To recall, Turkey has signed and ratified the Paris Agreement and announced its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC). This report discusses policy options as to how to meet its commitment. More concretely, the report aims at quantifying the economic costs and impacts of possible climate mitigation policies, so as to decide which policy and policy mix best fits Turkey’s needs as an emerging country while at the same time meeting its global responsibility. Let me stress in particular the fact that while the report indicates possible options for Turkish policymakers, its main contribution lies in its underlying model, which allows to simulate many more options, should policymakers want to explore them and their consequences. This report itself is based on a more detailed study entitled Assessment of a Carbon Tax as a Tool to Decarbonize Turkey’s Energy Supply 2050 which IC4R had written for the World Energy Council Turkey in 2021.
At IC4R we indeed see our role as one of helping policymakers and regulators make informed decision about infrastructure development, financing and pricing, among others. Besides the traditional infrastructures in the energy, transport and communications sectors, IC4R also increasingly wants to contribute the policy and regulation of emerging digitalization and its economic and social implications.
I hope, you will enjoy reading this first issue of our new Report Series!
Dr. Alparslan Bayraktar
President of the Board
Istanbul Center for Regulation
