Gas storage capacity to rise to 12 bln cubic meters by 2028

ISTANBUL

Türkiye will boost its natural gas storage capacity to 12 billion cubic meters by 2028 with capacity expansions at the two key facilities, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said.

The capacity at the Lake Tuz storage facility will increase from the current to 1.2 billion cubic meters first to 3.5 billion cubic meters and eventually to 5.4 billion cubic meters by 2028, the minister said.

“We also aim to increase the storage capacity at the Silivri facility from 4.6 billion cubic meters to 6 billion over the same period,” Bayraktar told reporters during a visit to the Lake Tuz facility operated by Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ).

When the capacity increases to 12 billion cubic meters, Türkiye will be able to store 20 percent of its natural gas consumption, the minister added.

Türkiye has invested around $4.3 billion to boost its natural gas storage capacity, according to Bayraktar.

The country’s annual natural gas consumption is around 50 billion cubic meters, which makes it the fourth largest gas-consuming nation in Europe, the minister said, adding that with its infrastructure Türkiye can store 50 percent of its natural gas consumption.

Bayraktar also noted that the daily natural gas production at the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea has risen from 4.6 million cubic meters, which meets the consumption of around 1.8 million homes in the country.

“Hopefully, the daily gas production from this field will increase to 10 million cubic meters in the first quarter of 2025,” the minister said.

The daily gas supply of the Silivri and Lake Tuz facilities will rise to 80 million cubic meters each by the end of this year, he noted.

“Adding these 10 million cubic meters of gas from the Black Sea field, the daily supply will reach 170 million cubic meters,” Bayraktar said.