Turkey sees long-term supplies from recent gas finds
Recent natural gas discoveries in the Black Sea are expected to have a production lifespan of some 25 years and boost Turkey's energy independence, the country's energy minister said June 7.
Turkish state-run media reported June 4 that a natural gas discovery in its territorial waters of the Black Sea was a sign of things to come. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested the natural gas would be drawn into the Turkish market, with the process starting with gas production systems offshore and finally a pipeline that will connect to facilities on land.
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Combined with the discovery of some 405bn m3 of natural gas last year, the new finds put the total reserve estimate at nearly 540bn m3.
Fatih Donmez, the Turkish minister of energy and natural resources, said further exploration wells could be tapped yet this year, but the prospects so far were good.
“In a field on such a scale, we can project a production and operation plan for 25 years on average,” he was quoted by Anadolu as saying. “So we can speak of about 15bn m3 to 20bn m3 of natural gas production per year at maximum levels.”
Around 155 km of pipeline is expected for connections to the Black Sea port city of Zonguldak. Donmez said that, with the energy import bill averaging some $40bn over the last 10 years, the government in Ankara was keen on lessening its dependence on foreign suppliers.