Türkiye announces new Gabar oil finds, plans output rise

ANKARA

Türkiye has identified an estimated 135 million barrels of oil in place at two new fields in the southeastern Gabar region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Nov. 9.

Production at the Gaziler and Çardaklı fields began in October, Erdoğan said after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.

The discoveries will support plans to raise daily output in Gabar above 100,000 barrels in the second half of 2027.

The figure of 135 million barrels is based on initial assessments of oil in place, which includes crude that may not be technically or economically recoverable.

Officials did not disclose a recoverable reserves estimate or separate production figures for the two new fields.

Gabar, in Şırnak province, currently produces 84,000 barrels a day from 184 wells, meeting about 8 percent of Türkiye’s oil consumption.

“With field development activities in Gabar and new wells coming onstream, the region’s daily oil production will increase by 30 percent,” Erdoğan said.

The number of producing wells is expected to reach around 230 in the second half of 2027.

The current daily output compares with 83,300 barrels reported by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry on Aug. 6. The larger increase announced by Erdoğan is expected as development work continues and additional wells enter production.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed the discovery and production figures in a social media post later on Nov. 9.

He linked the expansion to Türkiye’s National Energy 2040 goals and its effort to achieve energy independence.

Gabar has produced 75.4 million barrels of crude oil to date.

Erdoğan and Bayraktar put its contribution toward narrowing Türkiye’s current account deficit at $6 billion.

Erdoğan also said production of 120,000 barrels a day would contribute $4.4 billion annually to the economy at current prices. He did not specify when output might reach that level.

In the same address, Erdoğan said regional conflicts had affected energy security and supplies.

Türkiye had sought to limit their impact by diversifying its supplier countries, delivery routes and energy sources, he said.

He said demand would continue to rise with economic growth, population increases and higher living standards.

To meet rising demand, the government prioritized domestic oil and natural gas, expanding both exploration and drilling.

State-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) began production in the Cudi-Gabar region at the Şehit Esma Çevik field in 2021, according to the ministry.

Operations expanded to the Şehit Teğmen Akdeniz field in 2022 and Şehit Aybüke Yalçın in 2023.

Three more fields — Mehmet İrfan Güler, Bulmuşlar and Bülent Sadioğlu — followed in 2024, with Ağaçyurdu added in 2025.

Bayraktar said improved security in the region enabled TPAO to carry out seismic surveys and drilling more extensively.