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Türkiye has signed a loan agreement with the World Bank for €757.1 million ($873.78 million) to rehabilitate and modernize irrigation infrastructure in selected basins.
The funding is part of the Irrigation Modernization-2 Project, approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on June 2, and will be implemented by the State Hydraulic Works (DSI).
With this agreement, total World Bank financing for Türkiye’s irrigation modernization efforts has now reached €1 billion, continuing a multi-year program aimed at improving water distribution systems across agricultural regions.
The irrigation loan follows another major agreement signed in August, when the World Bank approved $750 million in financing to strengthen Türkiye’s electricity transmission network. That project, led by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS), aims to eliminate operational bottlenecks and integrate more renewable energy into the system.
In total, Türkiye has secured around $10 billion in concessional external financing in 2025, according to the Treasury and Finance Ministry.
Minister Mehmet Simsek told state-run Anadolu Agency that the long-standing cooperation with the World Bank has produced effective results and will continue in the same manner. "This successful partnership will continue in the future as well," he said.
Simsek added that the projects are aligned with the country’s Medium-Term Program, which outlines Türkiye’s economic strategy. "In line with our Medium-Term Program, we will continue to secure external financing to unlock the potential of our agricultural sector, stabilize food prices, and strengthen food supply security," he stated.
Humberto Lopez, World Bank country director for Türkiye, said the institution remains committed to supporting the country’s clean energy transition. He explained that the $750 million transmission loan signed in August was only the beginning, with new projects under discussion with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
"On energy, I am sure there will be new projects coming," Lopez said. "We will meet with the Ministry of Energy in the coming weeks to decide the next operations we will be focusing on."
Lopez underlined the scale of Türkiye’s renewable energy ambitions. "Türkiye has one of the most ambitious plans for renewables in the world, and this transition requires strong transmission infrastructure," he noted.
Türkiye aims to increase its solar and wind power capacity to 120 gigawatts by 2035, which government projections estimate will require $28 billion in transmission investments.
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