ISTANBUL: Repeated electricity cuts lasting around two to three hours a day are disrupting daily life and business activities in parts of Istanbul, with small hotel owners, Airbnb operators, shopkeepers and residents expressing concern over the reliability of power supplies as Türkiye welcomes international visitors during the COP31 climate summit.
The interruptions are creating additional difficulties for tourism-related businesses that depend on uninterrupted electricity to provide accommodation and services to international guests.
“We have no other alternative to supply guests during two hours of load-shedding daily,” said Mr Porta, an Airbnb owner in Istanbul, describing the difficulties of maintaining services during regular power interruptions.
Porta also blamed the conflict involving Iran and the United States for contributing to the energy disruption, although the direct connection between the geopolitical tensions and the reported electricity cuts has not been independently established.
During a stay in Istanbul, this correspondent of Just Energy News also experienced electricity interruptions, while local residents and small business operators described power cuts as an increasingly difficult part of their daily lives.
The disruption has raised questions about the ability of the city’s electricity distribution infrastructure to ensure reliable supplies for households, commercial establishments and tourism businesses.
Istanbul, a historic city and one of Türkiye’s principal international tourism destinations, is preparing to receive additional international visitors during the period of COP31, the United Nations climate conference being held in Antalya from November 9 to 20.
Although the summit is taking place in Antalya, Istanbul remains an important gateway for international travellers and a major destination for visitors arriving in Türkiye.
For small accommodation providers, restaurants, retail businesses and other tourism-related services, electricity interruptions can affect customer comfort, food storage, online reservations, electronic payments and other essential operations.
Hasan said the interruptions had left small operators with limited options for maintaining normal services for their guests.
Several residents and shopkeepers also expressed concern about the inconvenience caused by prolonged interruptions, particularly when electricity is needed for household appliances, business equipment and daily activities.
National generation figures show a different picture
The reported electricity disruptions in Istanbul have emerged despite Türkiye maintaining sufficient annual electricity generation to cover its national consumption in 2025.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, electricity consumption increased by 3.2 per cent to 364.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2025, while generation rose by 3.5 per cent to 366.9 TWh.
The figures indicate that national electricity generation exceeded annual consumption by approximately 2.1 TWh.
Türkiye’s installed electricity generation capacity reached 127,355 megawatts by the end of September 2026, according to the ministry’s latest published statistics.
However, a national generation surplus does not necessarily guarantee uninterrupted electricity supplies in every city or neighbourhood.
Power interruptions can result from distribution network maintenance, technical faults, overloaded transformers, substation capacity limitations and other local infrastructure problems.
Istanbul’s electricity distribution network serves millions of households and businesses across its European and Asian sides.
Boğaziçi Electricity Distribution Company (BEDAŞ) operates the distribution network on the European side, while Anadolu Yakasi Electricity Distribution Company (AYEDAŞ) serves the Asian side.
Planned maintenance and infrastructure improvement works can require temporary interruptions in selected neighbourhoods. Nevertheless, the reported frequency and duration of the cuts have raised concerns among consumers about the reliability of local electricity services.
Energy security concerns grow amid regional conflict
The disruption is also being discussed against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The conflict involving Iran has disrupted international oil supplies and increased concerns about energy prices and the security of regional supply routes.
Türkiye, which relies significantly on imported energy, remains exposed to fluctuations in international oil and gas markets.
However, the direct impact of the conflict on electricity distribution interruptions in Istanbul remains unclear.
Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in April that the country was not facing an immediate energy security problem despite the regional conflict, although he described the situation as volatile.
The latest developments have nevertheless reinforced the importance of diversifying energy sources, strengthening domestic production and improving the resilience of electricity infrastructure.
Growing demand puts pressure on infrastructure
Türkiye’s electricity demand is expected to continue increasing with economic growth, industrial expansion, urbanisation and the wider electrification of transport and other services.
The country’s National Energy Plan projects electricity consumption reaching 455.3 TWh by 2030 and 510.5 TWh by 2035.
In 2025, coal accounted for 33.3 per cent of electricity generation, while natural gas contributed 22.3 per cent. Hydropower supplied 15.7 per cent, solar 11.9 per cent and wind 10.8 per cent.
The government is pursuing an expansion of renewable energy as part of its longer-term energy security and climate commitments.
However, experts and industry representatives have highlighted the need for parallel investment in transmission and distribution networks, energy storage and smart-grid technologies to ensure that additional generation capacity translates into reliable electricity supplies.
For Istanbul, maintaining uninterrupted electricity is particularly important because of its concentration of residential, industrial, commercial and tourism activities.
Questions over service reliability
The electricity interruptions have placed the spotlight on the need for greater transparency regarding the causes, frequency and duration of power cuts in Istanbul.
During the correspondent’s stay, Just Energy News was unable to obtain an official explanation from the relevant Istanbul authorities or electricity distribution companies regarding the reported daily two-to-three-hour interruptions.
It therefore remains unclear whether the reported cuts are primarily linked to scheduled maintenance, technical problems, local distribution constraints or wider energy supply pressures.
The authorities and distribution companies need to clarify the situation and provide consumers with reliable information about planned interruptions and measures to improve supply continuity.
As Türkiye hosts COP31 under the international climate agenda, Istanbul’s reported electricity difficulties highlight an important dimension of the energy transition: the need not only to expand electricity generation and renewable capacity but also to ensure reliable, affordable and uninterrupted power for households, businesses and visitors.