The governments of Norway and Turkey have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the energy sector, paving the way for closer cooperation between the two countries.

Bilateral talks between Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende, and Minister of Trade and Industry, Monica Mæland, and Turkey’s Minister of Energy, Taner Yildiz, were held on Tuesday.

Norwegian firm Statkraft currently has three hydropower projects in Turkey. The Cakit power plant opened in 2010, while Cetin and Kargi are under construction.

“The talks between the Norwegian and Turkish government ministers were good. Both sides expressed a keen interest in strengthening cooperation between the countries in the energy sector," says Øistein Andresen, executive vice president of Statkraft.

Turkey is Europe’s fastest-growing energy market. It is expected that Turkish energy demand will grow to 400GWh by 2020, approximately twice current levels.