Turkey to reduce dependence on foreign energy: Erdoğan

EDİRNE

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 16 that Turkey aims to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources.

Speaking at a campaign rally for local March 31 elections in northwestern Edirne province, Erdoğan said that Turkey aims to maximize domestic resource utilization in energy.

"In 2017, our electricity generation from domestic sources was 45 percent. Now, it has reached 60 percent," Erdoğan said.

He also recalled that Turkey discovered new gas fields in Thrace with a reserve of 3 billion cubic meters that will double the country's current natural gas production.

"The production is enough to meet the consumption of 300,000 households for 10 years," he added.

Turkey has limited domestic energy resources and mainly depends on expensive energy imports for its consumption, which constitutes the biggest share of the current account deficit.

The country strives to discover new oil and natural gas sources, and also heavily invests in renewable energy and domestic coal.