Minister says Türkiye emerging as energy hub in region

ZONGULDAK

Türkiye now has the infrastructure to receive natural gas beyond its domestic needs, positioning the country to emerge as a regional energy hub, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced.

"To become a trade center in the energy sector, certain prerequisites must be met. There needs to be an abundant supply from diverse sources, and competition among various gas suppliers is essential," Bayraktar stated in an interview with daily Milliyet during a visit to the Filyos Natural Gas Processing Facility in the country’s north.

In a scenario where operations are conducted for 200-250 days a year, Türkiye could import at least half of its gas requirements in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via tankers, the minister noted.

"We have agreements with the United States, Qatar, Algeria, Nigeria and Oman. The number of our suppliers is increasing," he added.

Highlighting the necessity of a developed market to become an energy hub, the minister emphasized that Türkiye already possesses this, driven by a significantly high level of consumption.

He further stressed the importance of pipelines in this endeavor, recalling the TANAP project of 2018 and the TurkStream project of 2020.

"As a result, the infrastructure — including natural gas pipelines, international pipelines, and domestic investments — enables us to bring gas into Türkiye beyond its own needs."

Bayraktar underscored the critical importance of supplying the surplus gas to neighboring countries.

"We've brought the goods [the gas] to market. Now, we need an exit. The key players here are Bulgaria and Greece. Especially with the Bulgarian route, we have the potential to supply gas across Europe, reaching Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Macedonia and Serbia," he noted.

The sole impediment is the current capacity, which is only 3.5 billion cubic meters, he pointed out, noting that the government is striving to at least double this capacity in collaboration with Bulgaria.

“It's not about constructing a new pipeline; rather, it's about making investments. How can we expand this capacity with minimal investments?"

"Assuming Türkiye’s current gas consumption stands at 50 billion cubic meters, we are working on building the infrastructure to export 15 percent of this volume. Consequently, the transformation into a hub has commenced."

Responding to a question about the commencement date for production at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in the southern province of Mersin, the minister expressed a desire to start as soon as possible, while acknowledging existing challenges.

"There are pieces of equipment awaiting in Germany, particularly for Akkuyu. Will the nuclear plant be operational without these? It will, because Siemens is not the only manufacturer. However, replacing these components will take time. Therefore, we are moving in that direction, though this may delay our target dates."

Bayraktar further announced that the new daily production target for the Sakarya Gas Field is set at 60 million cubic meters. If this target is achieved, the gas used in residential areas across Türkiye could be sourced entirely from this field.