The discovery of a new natural gas reserve in the Black Sea strengthens Türkiye’s energy supply security while also bolstering its goal of becoming a central country in the international arena, according to a report on Sunday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Saturday that 75 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas had been discovered as a result of exploration activities in the Black Sea.
“We have discovered 75 billion cubic meters of new natural gas. With this amount, we will meet the needs of our homes alone for about 3.5 years,” he said. The president valued the reserve as worth some $30 billion.
According to the statement, the discovery was made by the Abdülhamid Han, one of Türkiye’s advanced technology drilling ships, at a depth of approximately 3,500 meters in the Göktepe-3 well.
The well, where the discovery was made, is situated in the Göktepe Field, 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of the Sakarya Gas Field and 165 kilometers from the shore, according to a report by Anadolu Agency (AA).
Sakarya field is Türkiye’s flagship natural gas production site, where the output has reached around 9.5 million cubic metres (mcm), as the country ramps up its energy ambitions both at home and abroad.
“Our work at the Göktepe-3 well, which started on March 27 with our seventh-generation drilling ship Abdülhamid Han, was completed yesterday,” Erdoğan said on Saturday, during an event in Istanbul.
He delivered “the good news,” suggesting the discovery was made after approximately 50 days of meticulous work.
Türkiye still covers most of its energy needs through imports, although Erdoğan reasserted Ankara’s desire to achieve energy independence.
“We will continue on our path without stopping, without resting, and without paying heed to criticism or obstacles until we reach our goal of a fully energy-independent Türkiye,” he said.
In recent years, Ankara ramped up efforts to cut its import bill and boost supply security by developing domestic resources and expanding international partnerships in oil and gas exploration. Most notably, it focused on the Sakarya gas field and the Gabar region, in the country’s southeast, where it aims to raise oil output to 100,000 barrels per day.
“Our Abdülhamid Han Drilling Vessel reached a natural gas reserve that would alone meet the needs of our residences for 3.5 years during its first exploratory drilling. Our route is clear, fully independent Türkiye in energy,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a post on X.
Expertise in the Black Sea
Oğuzhan Akyener, the president of the Türkiye Energy Strategies and Policies Research Center (TESPAM), in his remarks to AA explained that potential fields in the Black Sea, especially the Sakarya Gas Field and its surroundings, are being explored step by step through drilling, and new structures in this region are being tested to develop reserve potential.
Regarding the material value of the discovery, Akyener said: “When the price of natural gas is calculated at TL 15 ($0.39) per cubic meter, the approximately TL 1.2 trillion value of the fully producible 75 billion cubic meters can be estimated. This can be calculated as an economic value of $30 billion based on the current dollar exchange rate.”
Stating that the process of gradually putting different structures in the Sakarya Gas Field into production continues, he further said: “We will not produce 75 billion cubic meters all at once. For example, if the maximum annual production is 6 billion cubic meters, this volume will be spread over the years. However, I believe that our national oil company will manage this process professionally.”
“In fact, we have already achieved notable expertise in the Black Sea. The existing facilities and infrastructure make it quite easy for us to develop new structures,” he noted.
Akyener also pointed out that with the latest discovery, the natural gas reserve in the Black Sea will increase from 710 bcm to 785 bcm, mentioning it as “a very pleasing development for our country.”
“Our current account deficit is still quite high. A significant part of this deficit is due to energy. With every discovery we make and every cubic meter we put into production, we are reducing our dependence on foreign energy step by step,” he added.
Akyener, also stating that an evaluation will be made at the trial level in the field first and then the development and production plan will be implemented accordingly, continued as follows: “For example, if production starts 10 years later and reaches its maximum level in the field, and approximately 5 to 6 bcm of production is realized, a volume corresponding to between 7% and 8% of Türkiye’s annual consumption of approximately 60 bcm will be obtained.”
However, he said this can “vary completely depending on the development scenarios.”
“The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources will decide on this. Our estimates can be considered as preliminary evaluations without net data,” he added.
Gas exports
Also, pointing out that the discoveries made in energy support Türkiye’s position in the international arena, he further said: “Türkiye has now increased its hand and cards in the game. Türkiye has become a central country in political, military and diplomatic terms and is strengthening this position and crowning it with the energy card.”
“The discoveries made now, the gradual increase in production, the continuous increase in production in Gabar and Türkiye’s efforts not only within the country but also in activities abroad, such as Somalia, all of these are steps that give us hope and strengthen Türkiye’s goal of becoming a central country.”
Akyener, meanwhile, also mentioned that Türkiye has been moving from a natural gas importer to a gas-exporting country in recent years.
“We are now a natural gas exporting country. If we look at the recent statements of our energy minister, we are working on exporting natural gas to Syria. We were exporting natural gas to Balkan countries. We are adding Syria to this. On the other hand, natural gas shipments to Nakhchivan will continue,” he explained.
“In this context, Türkiye is strengthening its position as a center in natural gas trade. We can consider every discovery in this sense,” he concluded.
