By: Daily Sabah

urkish energy firm Karpowership, which provides electricity to eight African nations through its fleet of floating power plants, is attracting growing interest from new markets as global demand accelerates, according to a senior company executive.

"We have more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity across eight African countries and almost every day, a new country approaches us,” said Zeynep Harezi Yılmaz, Chief Commercial Operations Officer of Karpowership, a subsidiary of Karadeniz Holding.

The company can deploy its power ships and reach full capacity within one to two weeks to meet urgent power needs, Yılmaz told Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of the recent Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum held in Istanbul.

Karpowership currently operates in 18 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.

"Our latest project came online in Iraq, and we signed a new contract in the Dominican Republic just last month,” she said, according to remarks published on Saturday.

"We are growing rapidly because electricity demand is rising exponentially.”

Demand surge drives flexible energy solutions
Yilmaz said global electricity demand is surging, driven by data centers, artificial intelligence and the widespread use of digital devices, adding that generation capacity is struggling to keep pace.

Despite increasing interest in renewable energy, she said most of the world’s electricity is still generated from thermal power plants. "It is not really possible for these economies to grow so rapidly relying on renewables alone,” she said.

"That’s why we rapidly deploy our cleanest thermal solutions, which are natural gas-fired,” she added.

"If necessary, we start with liquid fuel within one to two weeks and convert to natural gas within two to three months,” she said. "Then, over the following two to three years, we aim to support balanced growth by adding onshore power plants to the country’s energy portfolio.”

New energy model in Africa

Yılmaz noted that most of the world’s carbon emissions come from countries such as China and the U.S., while the 54 nations across Africa collectively account for only about 3.5% of global emissions.

Even so, she said, African nations have long faced difficulties securing financing for energy projects other than renewables. The situation, she added, has become more challenging due to higher energy commodity prices following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as reduced hydroelectric output linked to climate change.

To help address this, she said Karpowership has developed innovative models. "We say that we can bring affordable and reliable electricity online in less than a month, without requiring any project financing,” she said. "And that, in turn, will help stimulate your economy.”

Yılmaz also highlighted the company’s contribution to Türkiye’s visibility in Africa, saying Karpowership and Karadeniz Holding have become one of Türkiye’s most significant soft power assets. She pointed to the role of Turkish engineers, shipyards and financing structures in developing and operating the powership fleet.

"The Turkish government supported us greatly in bringing the powership model to life,” she said. "We proudly fly the Turkish flag on our vessels. We have tens of thousands of Turkish employees working around the world, and we are very proud of this. Imagine: a Turkish company supplies more than 50% of the electricity in several African countries and their economies depend on electricity provided by a Turkish company.”

She also emphasized the company’s social development programs in Africa. Through the "Girl Power” scholarship initiative, Karpowership has covered school expenses for more than 3,000 girls, helping them complete their education, she explained.