Invest News DetailHurriyet Daily News - Türkiye has sold several state-owned assets worth nearly USD 41 billion in recent years, and the head of the country’s privatization agency said on Thursday that the government plans to launch an even more robust period of privatization in 2011. "This year will be the year of the privatization of power plants," said Ahmet Aksu, the Head of Türkiye’s Privatization Administration (OIB) at a conference organized by the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD). The privatization of electricity grids in 2010 netted the government USD 15.8 billion, said Aksu, adding that this year’s planned privatizations are not limited to the energy sector but will also see the sale of some 2,000 kilometers of roads, two bridges over Bosphorus, Salipazari port facilities in central Istanbul, both the Derince and Izmir ports and 23 million square meters of state-owned land throughout the country. The government may also sell stakes in secondary public offerings planned by state bank HalkBank and Turk Telekom, the landline and mobile phone operator, Aksu told reporters, adding that it may also sell part of its share in national carrier Turkish Airlines (THY), and Petkim Petrokimya Holding, a leading manufacturer of chemicals.