June 11, 2025

Turkey

Country context (P3 lens)

Turkey is an upper-middle-income country bridging Europe and Asia with a well-developed P3 market. P3s are used to mobilize private capital, accelerate infrastructure delivery, and transfer operational risk, particularly in transport, energy, water, and social infrastructure. The government has dedicated P3 legislation, institutional frameworks, and extensive experience, including major highways, urban transit, airports, and energy projects.

Verified sources: World Bank PPP Knowledge Lab, Turkey Ministry of Treasury and Finance – PPP Directorate, European PPP Expertise Centre (EPEC), IMF.


Economic and infrastructure conditions

  • Economy: Diversified, with strong manufacturing, services, tourism, and energy sectors; infrastructure investment supports urban development, trade logistics, and energy distribution.

  • Infrastructure priorities:

    • Roads, highways, bridges, and urban transit networks

    • Railways, ports, and airports

    • Electricity generation, transmission, and distribution (including renewables)

    • Water supply, sanitation, and wastewater management

    • Hospitals, schools, and other social infrastructure

  • Private sector: Large domestic and regional investor base; projects are structured for long-term private participation with risk-sharing mechanisms.


Public Private Partnerships framework

Legal and institutional setup

  • P3s are governed by the Public Private Partnership Law and relevant sector-specific regulations, with oversight by the PPP Directorate under the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.

  • Project approval requires feasibility studies, value-for-money assessments, lifecycle cost evaluation, and risk allocation analysis.

  • Typical P3 structures:

    • Concessions for highways, bridges, railways, ports, and airports

    • Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) or Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO) models for energy and utilities

    • Availability-payment contracts for hospitals, schools, and municipal facilities

Market characteristics

  • Turkey has a mature and active P3 market, particularly in transport, energy, and social infrastructure.

  • Financing structures include availability payments, toll-based revenues, revenue-sharing, and blended finance supported by development banks.

  • Investors include domestic banks, regional and international infrastructure funds, private equity, and multilateral development partners.


Sector experience and opportunities

Transport

  • Highways, bridges, urban transit, and rail networks are key P3 opportunities.

  • Ports and airports attract long-term private participation under concession agreements.

Energy and utilities

  • Renewable energy (wind, solar, hydro), electricity transmission, and distribution delivered under BOT or concession models.

  • Water supply and wastewater treatment increasingly involve private operators under structured agreements.

Social infrastructure

  • Hospitals, schools, and municipal facilities delivered through availability-payment P3s, leveraging private sector efficiency and lifecycle management.


Key P3 considerations

  • Project preparation: Strong emphasis on feasibility, lifecycle cost, and value-for-money analysis.

  • Risk allocation: Construction, operational, and maintenance risks transferred to private partners; regulatory risks remain public.

  • Institutional capacity: PPP Directorate provides guidance, approvals, and monitoring; technical advisory support is commonly used for complex projects.

  • Market depth: Large domestic investor base ensures competitive tendering and long-term sustainability.


Outlook

Turkey is a mature P3 market with opportunities across transport, energy, water, and social infrastructure:

  • Focus sectors: roads, highways, railways, ports, airports, energy, water, and social infrastructure

  • Projects are generally medium- to large-scale, long-term, commercially structured, and bankable

  • Institutional frameworks provide regulatory certainty, risk mitigation, and operational oversight


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