Daily gas production at Türkiye's Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea has reached 9.5 million cubic meters (mcm), the energy and natural resources minister announced Monday as the country seeks to strengthen international energy cooperation.
'Historic energy record! The first phase of the Sakarya Gas Field is complete,' said Alparslan Bayraktar on X.
Bayraktar added that 9.5 million cubic meters of daily output supplies energy to over 4 million households.
Türkiye continues its operations for the second phase, which will double current output levels, he said in a separate statement.
In 2020, the largest natural gas discovery in Turkish history was made in the Sakarya Gas Field.
Türkiye's first floating production platform, currently undergoing maintenance and modernization at a local shipyard, is expected to start operations at the Sakarya Gas Field in 2026.
With the platform operational, an additional 10 mcm of daily production is expected, raising total production to 20 mcm by 2026.
- Turkish Petroleum set to sign deal for block in Bulgaria
Speaking to reporters in Türkiye's Black Sea province of Giresun last week following an economy meeting, Bayraktar detailed the country's multifaceted energy exploration strategies.
On cooperation with Bulgaria, Bayraktar said: 'We are likely to finalize an agreement. Turkish Petroleum will sign a deal with a foreign company for exploration in a block in Bulgaria's maritime economic zone.'
'We have also established a strategic partnership with Hungary's MOL company for joint operations within and outside Hungary,' he added.
Bayraktar said that last month, Turkish Petroleum signed a deal in the US to partner on unconventional oil and gas production in four fields in eastern Diyarbakir, as part of the country's long-term strategy.
Noting that Türkiye will begin field assessments and drilling this year, Bayraktar said that this represents a new milestone in Türkiye's oil and gas exploration efforts.
Türkiye is working on an exploration program with oil potential in eastern Diyarbakir province and gas potential in the Thrace region of northwestern Türkiye.
Bayraktar also emphasized Türkiye's active role in international energy exploration, highlighting initial focus areas in countries where Türkiye already operates, such as Azerbaijan and the broader Caspian basin region.
'The initial focus will be on countries where we currently have assets, production, and operations, primarily Azerbaijan and the Caspian Basin region. We have interests in two new offshore fields there,' he said.
Additionally, Türkiye is interested in fields both in northern Iraq and the Basra region in southern Iraq. In Russia, Türkiye currently has operations in one field, and plans to expand its presence there, the minister added.
- New deals with Libya are expected soon
Bayraktar also noted that Somalia was among the new countries Türkiye had begun working with, recalling that Türkiye added three onshore blocks to its three offshore blocks there.
'Turkish Petroleum signed an agreement regarding these blocks on April 10, and we have begun land-based explorations in Somalia,' he said.
'Our seismic data collection offshore will conclude by the end of May, after which we'll make drilling decisions by year-end,' Bayraktar explained.
He also mentioned cooperation with Pakistan's state company for offshore explorations.
Bayraktar also said Türkiye is engaged in oil and gas field development in Turkmenistan and added that new agreements with Libya are expected soon.
By Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr