Natural gas inflow to Türkiye's gas network totaled 56.39 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2024, marking a 9.5% increase year-on-year, according to official figures by the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS).
In 2023, approximately 51.48 bcm of natural gas was carried through the Turkish natural gas system. Natural gas demand increased last year due to higher electricity consumption driven by elevated summer temperatures and a rise in exported gas volumes.
There might be a gap of up to 5% between overall consumption and the quantity of inflow in Türkiye, which also exports natural gas.
- Gas inflow highest in December, lowest in June
Last year, the highest figure for natural gas inflow was recorded in December at approximately 7.6 bcm, while the lowest was in June with about 2.67 bcm.
The day with the highest gas inflow to the system was November 11, 2024, with 285.24 million cubic meters, while the lowest was June 18, 2024, with 51.29 million cubic meters.
- 2024 is 'the year of LNG' for Türkiye
In recent years, Türkiye has diversified its energy sources not only for domestic consumption but also for imports and exports. Last year, the country made significant strides in diversifying its LNG supply sources.
With the LNG and Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) facilities established over the past 20 years, Türkiye has increased its capacity to supply liquefied natural gas in addition to pipeline gas. In 2024, the country signed agreements for approximately 100 billion cubic meters of LNG supply.
The Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) also made significant progress last year by signing LNG supply agreements with four different companies.
BOTAS signed an LNG supply agreement with Oman in January 2023 to procure natural gas between 2025 and 2035. Under the agreement, up to 1 million tons (approximately 1.40 bcm) of LNG will be imported annually from Oman.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding reached with ExxonMobil in May 2024, ExxonMobil will be able to supply up to 2.5 million tons (approximately 3.45 bcm) of LNG annually to Türkiye.
On September 2, 2024, BOTAS signed a 10-year LNG agreement with Shell, followed by another 10-year agreement with TotalEnergies on September 18, 2024.
Starting in 2027, under these agreements, Shell will supply 4 bcm annually, and TotalEnergies will provide 1.6 bcm annually. A significant portion of this gas will be sourced from production terminals in the United States and delivered to BOTAS, while the rest will be delivered to Türkiye or European terminals upon BOTAS's request.
It is projected that up to 100 bcm of gas could be supplied from the mentioned foreign companies over the duration of the agreements.
In addition to its LNG infrastructure, Türkiye imports gas via pipelines from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Through the TurkStream pipeline, Türkiye has an annual capacity of 31.5 bcm, while the Blue Stream pipeline offers a capacity of 16 bcm.
Meanwhile, the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) from Azerbaijan has an annual capacity of 16 bcm, and the Iran-Türkiye Natural Gas Pipeline has a capacity of 10 bcm per year.
By Fuat Kabakci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr