Energy diplomacy helps ensure energy security: Minister

ISTANBUL

With its geographical location and infrastructure, Türkiye has become an energy hub, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said, stressing that “we see energy diplomacy as the most important aspect of our energy security.”

"The power outage [in Spain and Portugal] put energy security under the spotlight," Bayraktar said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk.

This has occurred at a time when the world is going through a period of transformation and moving toward a new global order, he added.

Bayraktar noted that 14 countries attended a recent energy summit in Istanbul.

“This shows us that Türkiye play a central role in energy. Türkiye is a hub for three reasons: first, its geographical location; second, its economic size; and third, its massive infrastructure investments,” he furthered.

After 2016, they initiated a different approach toward oil and gas exploration, according to the minister.

“We decided to conduct our operations using our own equipment and trained human resources,” Bayraktar said.

Elaborating on activities in Somalia, he said it would not be appropriate to claim that “we found something in Somalia when our drilling operations have not yet yielded results. We believe there is potential for oil in Somalia's seas.”

Iraq is a country with which Türkiye can collaborate in every field, Bayraktar also said.

“In energy, we focus on three main areas: Oil production, exporting natural gas to power plants in Iraq, and a strong cooperation in electricity. We will further enhance this collaboration, as energy is at the core of these relations,” he added. 

Türkiye will play a greater role in natural gas and oil production in Iraq, according to the minister.

Bayraktar also announced that Türkiye will send 6 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to Syria.

“We aim to start the [gas] flow within three months. This natural gas will be used for electricity generation at the power plant in Aleppo. Export volume is expected to reach 2 billion cubic meters per year,” he said.

Currently, Europe receives gas from Russia only through the TurkStream pipeline, Bayraktar noted.

“Even if Europe does not openly acknowledge it, we will continue to be significant in meeting Europe's gas and electricity needs,” he said.

Commenting on the activities in the Black Sea, Bayraktar said that the aim is to reach 20 million cubic meters of production in 13–14 months and that work continues there to make new discoveries.