New oil find at Gabar could be announced soon, says minister

MOSCOW

AA Photo

Türkiye could soon announce a new oil discovery at the Gabar field as countrywide exploration continues, according to Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.

Speaking on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week in Moscow, Bayraktar told state-run Anadolu Agency that oil and natural gas exploration efforts were continuing both onshore and offshore, adding that work at the Gabar production area remained an important part of those activities. He said a new announcement regarding Gabar could be made in the near future.

Bayraktar said Türkiye had avoided disruptions to energy supply security despite successive crises in global energy markets and had pursued policies aimed at diversifying both energy resources and supplier countries.

He said natural gas production from the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea, which began in 2023, was rising toward 7.5 billion cubic metres annually and was expected to quadruple by 2028.

Bayraktar said Türkiye aimed to expand the use of renewable energy, nuclear power, domestic coal, oil and natural gas resources while strengthening energy supply security through alternative import routes and long-term LNG agreements.

Russia remained an important supplier of oil, natural gas and petroleum products to Türkiye, he noted.

Bayraktar said agreements between Russia and the United States regarding diesel supplies were important. “Türkiye sources a significant amount of diesel from Russia. Therefore, the opening of this channel is important for our security of supply,” he added.

The minister also said the first reactor at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was approaching the electricity generation stage and was expected to be commissioned within the next few months.