Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar defined gas production from the Black Sea as one of the most important gas projects for Turkey and announced in an interview with the Turkish economic publication “CNBC-E“ that oil drilling should also begin in the Western Black Sea as soon as possible, BTA reported.
“Our ships for deep sea drilling are already six. One of them is currently working in Somalia. The other is in the Black Sea and is part of a program for new development, i.e. new terrains. New drilling is being carried out in the Western, Middle and Eastern Black Seas in terrains that we have explored. On the one hand, we are working to add new reserves to the ones currently available, both in gas production and, of course, I hope it will happen, so that in the coming days we can start drilling, which is aimed at oil. It will take a little longer, it will be a difficult drilling, but soon we will start drilling in the Western Black Sea, which is aimed at oil“, said Alparslan Bayraktar.
The expectations of the Turkish Energy Minister are that the gas production capacity in the Black Sea will be doubled this year, and thus Turkish gas will approach the quantities that the country supplies from Russia.
„We are increasing the production of natural gas from our existing reserves, which are currently enough for 4 million households, to supply 8 million homes. In 2028, we are increasing this target to four times. Turkey will receive a total of 16-17 billion cubic meters per year (through its own reserves – ed. note), which is almost as much gas as we receive from Russia – about 20-22 billion cubic meters, and by 2028 we will extract 80 percent of this amount from our Black Sea waters“, Bayraktar explained.
The Turkish Energy Minister also commented on the progress of energy connectivity projects with neighboring countries.
„We have connected a gas connection to Nakhichevan through Turkey. In August, it was one year since we made a gas connection with Syria and our exports to Syria continue. We have exports to Europe. "That is, Turkey is diversifying its sources on the one hand and we are transporting different gas in large quantities from different countries, and on the other hand - we are developing alternatives for its export," Bayraktar emphasized.
Among the important projects for the country is the possibility of Qatari gas reaching Turkey and Europe. Bayraktar also reported that Turkey's capacity related to liquefied gas installations has been increased fivefold, and the goal is for their daily capacity to reach 200 million cubic meters.