Erdoğan vows to make Türkiye global energy player

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday has pledged to elevate Türkiye to the status of a global actor in oil and natural gas exploration.

“Türkiye has a strategic place with its natural resources and proximity to reserves... We have made important strides to make Türkiye a safe haven for global energy,” he said at the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit on May 2.

Erdoğan linked the country’s energy ambitions to both economic independence and national security.

"We, as the [ruling] People's Alliance, we will write a completely different story with the desired result in the works for a terror-free Türkiye," he said.

"We have broken the devil’s leg in this sense. We are taking these successes to a new level. We will become a global actor in oil and natural gas exploration."

Erdoğan added that reducing energy imports would generate domestic employment opportunities.

"We are a nation that has no shame of colonialism in its thousands of years of history. We have never had our eyes on anyone’s land, sovereignty, underground or aboveground resources," he said.

"We have also considered the interests of our counterparts. Wherever our flag flies, we exist to win together for friendship."

He touched upon new collaborations in the energy field, particularly with Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, and confirmed agreements for liquefied natural gas supply with two major oil companies based in the United Kingdom and France.

"It is no coincidence that Türkiye stands out as a safe haven in Europe’s energy crises. We have been preparing since 2002," he said.

"We have raised Türkiye to a very different league in the field of energy, now we want to climb to the top and have our name written among the best. We are walking towards the future of our successes with determination."

Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye’s strides in renewable energy, noting that the country can now meet residential energy needs through wind and solar sources.

He also pledged to streamline permit processes for renewables and develop a green transmission infrastructure.

Meanwhile, construction of the first reactor of an under-construction nuclear power plant in Türkiye had been completed, Erdoğan said.

“We will provide the first electricity from Akkuyu by the end of this year,” he said. “We expect the nuclear power plant to operate at full capacity in 2028 with the completion of the other reactors. With this, our natural gas imports will decrease by 7 billion cubic meters. This means savings of $2.5 billion.”

The president also pointed to Türkiye’s potential in rare earth elements. "Türkiye has an important place in rare earth elements,” he said, adding the country aims to be “one of the five countries that can produce them."