Türkiye’s Diyarbakır Basin has the potential to pump up to 250,000 barrels of oil and 25 million cubic meters of natural gas daily, according to Malone Mitchell, chairman of the U.S.-based energy firm TransAtlantic Petroleum.
Mitchell said TransAtlantic has been operating in the Diyarbakır and Thrace basins for 18 years and is currently working with Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and U.S. oil producer Continental Resources to develop unconventional oil and gas resources in southeastern Türkiye.
According to Mitchell, if development progresses as expected, around 25 drilling rigs could be operating in the Diyarbakir Basin within the next five years. He noted that horizontal drilling technology would allow each rig to achieve productivity comparable to four or five vertical wells while using less surface area.
He said the basin could experience gradual growth over the next five years before reaching mature production levels. Over a roughly 20-year period, the number of wells in the basin could exceed the total number currently operating across Türkiye, he added.
“The natural gas production potential in the Diyarbakır Basin could exceed 25 million cubic meters per day. Production in the range of 25 million to 50 million cubic meters would be a very significant volume. This would meet a substantial portion of Türkiye’s domestic demand,” Mitchell said.
