TPAO expands overseas operations in drive for higher output

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Türkiye’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) aims to raise its combined domestic and overseas hydrocarbon production from around 330,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day to nearly 600,000 by 2028, with a longer-term target of 1 million, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said.

The increase expected by 2028 will be driven by higher production from the Sakarya Gas Field and an expanding portfolio across the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

“Türkiye is operating on three continents in line with its goal of full energy independence,” Bayraktar told state-run Anadolu Agency.

He said Türkiye’s overseas energy investments were intended not only to increase oil and natural gas production but also to bring the country’s technical expertise, technology, capital and operational capacity to international markets.

One of the main projects is in northern Iraq, where TPAO agreed in July to acquire a 15 percent interest in BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited.

The transaction would make it a partner with BP and ConocoPhillips in the Baba, Avanah, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields.

The fields are estimated to hold more than 3 billion barrels of oil-equivalent resources in the initial phase.

Bayraktar said the partners planned to develop existing reserves, increase production and assess further exploration potential.

In Somalia, the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel spent 234 days surveying three offshore blocks. Following an assessment of the data, Türkiye decided to proceed with drilling, Bayraktar said.

The Çağrı Bey drilling vessel is now operating at the Curad-1 well off Somalia in what the minister described as Türkiye’s first deep-sea exploration drilling operation abroad.

Türkiye has also signed production-sharing agreements covering onshore and offshore areas in Libya and concession and joint operating agreements for Oman’s Block 80.

The Oruç Reis is expected to begin seismic work in Pakistan after the monsoon season.

In Azerbaijan, TPAO is involved in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli and Shah Deniz projects.

Under a separate agreement signed on June 1, Türkiye will receive a total of 33 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani natural gas over 15 years from 2029 through a partnership involving BOTAŞ, SOCAR, TotalEnergies and ADNOC.

TPAO is also conducting seismic work with MOL in Hungary and joint exploration with Shell at the Khan Tervel field in Bulgaria’s Black Sea waters.