Black Sea gas to reach 9.5 million cubic meters, says energy minister
Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar delivers a speech at the 15th Sector Meeting of the Electricity Distribution Services Association (Elder) in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Jan. 10, 2025. (AA Photo)
Türkiye plans to significantly increase its natural gas production from Black Sea reserves, aiming to reach 9.5 million cubic meters by the end of March, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced Thursday in a televised interview.
“The Black Sea gas currently supplies 2.8 million households in Türkiye,” Bayraktar said during an appearance on Turkish media outlet TGRT Haber. “We have a minimum 20-year production project in the Black Sea, and we aim to increase production capacity to 20 million cubic meters by 2026.”
The announcement comes as Türkiye continues to diversify its energy infrastructure and supply chains. The country, which traditionally relied on neighboring countries for its natural gas needs, has developed new capabilities for handling liquefied natural gas (LNG) through three specialized vessels.
Türkiye exports gas to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania
Türkiye has already established itself as a regional gas supplier, currently exporting to Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, with other countries expressing interest, according to Bayraktar. However, he emphasized that domestic supply remains the priority.
The minister also revealed that Türkiye quietly managed a significant supply disruption in January when gas flows from both Iran and Azerbaijan were affected. “We experienced a complete halt in gas flow for about 10 days due to a malfunction in the Caspian Sea area, but we managed to avoid any service interruptions using our storage facilities,” Bayraktar said.
Looking ahead, Türkiye is pursuing a long-standing initiative to tap into Turkmenistan’s vast natural gas reserves. A memorandum of understanding dating back to 1998 for transporting Turkmen gas across the Caspian Sea to Türkiye has gained new momentum, with a fresh agreement signed in Antalya under President Erdogan’s leadership last year.
Currently, 85 percent of Türkiye’s population has access to natural gas, and the minister assured that supply security for the winter season remains under close monitoring.
