Minister Bayraktar: We will switch to a different production method in oil and natural gas production

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said that they will switch to a different production method called 'unconventional' in oil and natural gas production and said, "We have made a partnership for 4 fields in Diyarbakır. It means producing oil and gas trapped in rocks by horizontal drilling and fracturing. The goal is to carry out the first drilling activity this year. If we are successful, it will be a game-changing study for Türkiye."

Regarding the claims that the Oruç Reis ship found oil in Somalia, Bayraktar said, "When the seismic studies have not yielded any results and we have not received any drilling results, it is out of the question for us to make a statement saying 'we found something in Somalia'. We have not made such a statement anyway. We do not announce a result without conducting the seismic studies and seeing the drilling."

Minister Bayraktar emphasized that social media accounts affiliated with FETO shared false posts claiming that Türkiye had made an agreement with Somalia with a colonialist mindset, and said, "Our President went there in 2011, when no one else was there. We extended our helping hand to them in an environment where the whole world had abandoned us. And we continue to do so."

'THE ROAD OF DEVELOPMENT CAN BECOME THE ROAD OF ENERGY'

Minister Bayraktar, who stated that there has been no flow from the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline for 19 months, pointed out the importance of the Development Road Project and said, "The information we received from Sudani and his team is that they still need some time. There is a disagreement between the production companies and Baghdad. The capacity of this line is 1.5 million barrels. This means an annual oil trade of 30 billion dollars. The Development Road can become an energy road."

'WE WILL GIVE NATURAL GAS TO SYRIA FROM KILIS'

Minister Bayraktar said regarding the natural gas export works to Syria, "We will provide natural gas to Syria from Kilis within the next 3 months. This gas will be used in electricity generation in the natural gas power plant in Aleppo. Our lines had reached Kilis. We are also finishing the works on the other side. We will provide a daily gas flow of 6 million cubic meters."

Referring to the large-scale power outage experienced in Europe, Minister Bayraktar said, "It seems that there was not a very balanced production portfolio in the system. There must definitely be a balanced distribution in your production basket. When you say 'Let it be only renewable', you are experiencing a very serious difficulty in terms of management. Our guess is that such a large renewable power in the system operation cannot be managed. It seems like a system operation error."

Minister Bayraktar stated that 81 thousand barrels of oil are produced daily in Gabar and said, "We are approaching the highest levels. There are new fields that we are exploring in the northwestern parts of Gabar. We have identified approximately 14 different regions. We are also conducting exploration activities in these areas."

Minister Bayraktar announced that he invited the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Numan Kurtulmuş and the deputies to Gabar on May 19th, and said, "We say; 'Come and see the work that has been done on site.' We are expecting our deputies to Gabar under the leadership of our Speaker of the Parliament. We want them to see Gabar, these are truly national issues, there needs to be unity in these issues of the country. That is why we are expecting them to come and see."

Minister Bayraktar, who announced that they have completed the first phase with a daily production of 9.5 million cubic meters in the Sakarya Gas Field, said, "We aim to increase it to 20 million cubic meters in the third quarter of 2026. We have a floating platform. It is being prepared in Çanakkale. We plan to send it off to Filyos by passing it through the Bosphorus on the anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul on May 29."

Minister Bayraktar, who said that they will switch to a different production method called 'unconventional' in oil and natural gas production, said, "We have made a partnership for 4 fields in Diyarbakır. It means producing oil and gas trapped in rocks by horizontal drilling and fracturing. The country that implements this best is the USA, and one of the companies that implements it best is our partner. The goal is to carry out the first drilling activity this year. If we are successful, it will be a game-changing study for Turkey. This is a method that has made the USA the largest oil and natural gas producer."

DHA

Editor: News Center