Turkey has discovered a new 135 billion cubic meter gas field in the Black Sea, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying by world news agencies.
He announced the news at a ceremony in the northern Turkish district of Zonguldak.
The deposit was found by the drilling ship Fatih in the well Amasra-1.
Thus, the total volume of natural gas deposits discovered by Turkey in this region in the southern part of the Black Sea reached 540 billion cubic meters. Last year, the ship “Fatih” already found 405 billion cubic meters there.
Turkey plans to start producing gas for its domestic consumption in the region in 2023 and production to reach its maximum capacity in 2027-2028. To this end, the relevant infrastructure will need to be built, including a gas pipeline at least 160km long.
Turkey has few oil and gas reserves. It is heavily dependent on gas imports from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran and liquefied natural gas from Qatar, the United States, Nigeria and Algeria, Reuters reported.
Last year, Turkey imported 48.1 billion cubic meters of gas, up 6 percent from the previous year in 2019. About a third of that amount was supplied by Russia.
Turkey is also drilling in the Mediterranean. Its disputed operations have heightened tensions with Greece and Cyprus, Reuters reported.
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