Gas production at Sakarya Field to rise fivefold by 2028: Minister

ANKARA

Natural gas production at the Sakarya Field in the Black Sea will increase fivefold by 2028, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said.

The current production from the Sakarya Field meets the natural gas needs of 3 million households, and by 2028, all of the natural gas consumption of households will be supplied from this field, according to the minister.

He recalled that the gas discovery in 2020 in the Black Sea was the largest ever in the country’s history.

“We brought the gas [discovered in the Black Sea] onshore in less than three years. Today, we have reached the capacity to meet the natural gas needs of 3 million households. Hopefully, in April, we will achieve a milestone by increasing today's production by 25 percent,” Bayraktar said.

Bayraktar stated that 92 percent of the oil Türkiye consumes is imported, adding that intensive work is currently underway in the Gabar region in the country's southeast for oil production.

He noted that over 90 wells are now operational in areas that were once inaccessible due to terrorism and that daily oil production has reached 80,000 barrels.

“Here, we produce Türkiye’s highest quality oil. We aim to exceed 100,000 barrels,” Bayraktar said.

Bayraktar also stressed that Türkiye has become a country actively exploring natural gas and minerals in different parts of the world, such as Somalia, Libya, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Africa.

He reiterated plans to produce approximately 3.5 tons of gold from Niger's first gold mine by 2026.