Minister demands interest in gas grids

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

If private firms do not bid for gas distribution tenders in particular provinces the government will be forced to enter the gas distribution market, warned Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yıldız.

Speaking at the International Energy and Environment Fair and Conference (ICCI) in Istanbul yesterday, Yıldız said, the government did not want to disrupt the liberal market by entering the gas supply business, but may find themselves obligated to do so.

“We have the model that Botaş installs pipelines to the provinces and then we let the private sector assume gas distribution through tenders. Natural gas pipes have been installed to 71 provinces. But there are provinces, including [the eastern provinces of] Ağrı, Iğdır, Kars, Batman, where the private sector firms did not participate in gas tenders, although the pipelines are installed,” he said.
The legislation on gas distribution may be altered if the private sector firms do not bid for gas distribution, Yıldız said.

Energy bourse

The Energy Ministry is preparing to establish an energy bourse, according to Yıldız. “We will publish a strategy paper regarding the energy bourse. We are receiving views, criticisms and suggestions from the private sector and non-governmental organizations if they have any. We will publish the paper after this process and then carry it into action,” he said. A total of 2,000 energy projects, including renewable energy projects, have now been realized, but 71 of them are stopped by courts, he said.