Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar met with young people at the TÜGVA İzmir Summer Schools Final Program held in the ancient city of Ephesus. Bayraktar said that Turkey had been dependent on foreign energy sources for many years, but that this was not an unchangeable fate.
Bayraktar said that Turkey had begun searching for oil and natural gas at sea with its own ships and engineers. He added that, following the work in the Mediterranean, the largest natural gas discovery in the history of the Republic was made in the Sakarya Gas Field on August 21, 2020.
Oil production in Gabar
Addressing the importance of oil production in Gabar, Bayraktar said the discovery represented a small part of the goal of a “Terror-Free Türkiye.” He said that Turkey’s highest-quality oil was being produced in the region with 3,500 young people, adding that the mountains now held hope, dreams for the future and expectations instead of weapons, gunfire and tears.
Bayraktar said that efforts to make Turkey energy independent were continuing.
Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant
Bayraktar also assessed the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant and said there were more than 400 nuclear reactors worldwide. He said that a nuclear power plant was located within walking distance of Iğdır in eastern Turkey, while many reactors operated in various European countries to the west, particularly Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and France.
Bayraktar argued that nuclear power plants were considered dangerous when Turkey was concerned. He said that the nuclear power plant that had not been built for 70 years was constructed at Akkuyu with contributions from Turkish engineers who had studied abroad.
Bayraktar said energy would become even more important in the future and that life without energy was inconceivable. Saying that he believed TÜGVA’s young people would surpass targets set for the next 24 to 25 years, Bayraktar reiterated the goal of building an energy-independent Türkiye in the Century of Türkiye.
