Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated at the AK Party Central Anatolia Regional Strategy Meeting held in Kayseri that Turkey has made significant progress in natural gas and oil explorations. Bayraktar expressed that Turkey started to continue exploration activities, which were conducted with foreign partners until 2016, with its own ships and engineers. Turkey has risen to the position of the 4th country with the world's largest deep sea fleet, owning the drilling ships Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, Abdülhamid Han, and Yıldırım, as well as the seismic ships Oruç Reis and Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa.
Bayraktar noted that natural gas production from the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea began in April 2023 and currently 4 million households use natural gas. He stated that the goal is to increase this number to 8 million by 2026 and to 16-17 million by 2028. Additionally, he emphasized that new drilling activities are ongoing and Turkey aims to increase its production both domestically and abroad.
Addressing drilling activities in Somalia, Bayraktar said that work in the region continues and developments in this area are important both for the Somali people and for Turkey. He noted that daily oil production of approximately 80,000 barrels has been reached at Mount Gabar, providing a significant economic contribution to the country.
Minister Bayraktar announced that the construction of the Mersin Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is ongoing, with the first reactor over 95% complete, and the first electricity generation is targeted by the end of the year. He also emphasized that Turkey ranks among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of mineral diversity and that mining activities should be conducted in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable manner.
Finally, Bayraktar stated that a significant portion of natural gas and electricity bills are covered by the Treasury, highlighting the important role of state support in meeting citizens' energy needs.
