Turkey's state-owned energy company Botas signed a deal to buy 1.2 million tonnes of LNG from French energy giant Total, according to international outlets late Wednesday.
The deal between the two sides will start in late 2020 and will run for three years.
The deal comes as Botas is nearing the expiry of long-term contracts with Nigeria and Algeria.
The deal with Nigeria ends in 2021 and with Algeria in 2024. A mid-term contract with Qatargas will also expire at the end of the year.
Turkey's natural gas consumption is estimated to total around 44.9 billion cubic meters in 2019. The country consumed 48.9 billion cubic meters in 2018, according to Anadolu Agency's calculations from figures provided by Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA).
Turkey imported 50.34 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2018, a decrease of 8.88% from the imports of 55.25 billion cubic meters of gas in 2017.
The calculations reveal that Turkey imported around 11.32 billion cubic meters of gas as LNG and the rest via pipelines in 2018, verifying that the share of LNG out of total gas imports was 22.5% compared to 19% in 2017.
Turkey considers the purchase of cheaper natural gas and LNG prices an advantage for the diversification of its gas supplies.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr