Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar assessed developments in energy markets, Türkiye's energy policies and energy cooperation with Russia during the main session of Russian Energy Week, held in Moscow, the capital of Russia.
Bayraktar said energy markets had faced numerous crises and shocks in recent years, emphasizing the importance of broad cooperation to overcome these challenges. He said Türkiye and Russia constituted an important example of the benefits that energy cooperation could provide to both countries.
Bayraktar said Türkiye's growing energy market provided demand security for Russia, while Russia played an important role in Türkiye's energy supply security. He said the crises in global energy markets had become the new normal for the energy sector and the global economy, stressing that providing countries with reliable and affordable energy was becoming increasingly difficult.
Türkiye's energy consumption and supply security
Bayraktar said Türkiye consumed an average of 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 50 million tonnes of oil and oil products, and 40 million tonnes of coal annually. He said most of these resources were supplied through imports, adding that Türkiye's energy policies focused on meeting rising demand and reducing dependence on imports.
Bayraktar said they were focusing on diversifying energy resources and investing in infrastructure, adding that significant investments had been made in Türkiye's energy infrastructure. He said successful projects had been implemented with Russia, particularly the TurkStream natural gas pipeline.
Bayraktar highlighted TurkStream's importance for Türkiye's energy supply security, saying that natural gas had previously been obtained through transit countries but could now be supplied directly from Russia via the Black Sea.
Bayraktar stressed the need to make greater use of the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Iraq-Türkiye oil pipelines. He said more natural gas and oil from Kazakhstan and Central Asia could be delivered to Türkiye and global markets through these pipelines, recalling that the Iraq-Türkiye Oil Pipeline had a daily transport capacity of 1.5 million barrels.
Bayraktar said this infrastructure served not only Türkiye's energy needs but could also contribute to the energy supply security of the Mediterranean basin. Referring to developments in the Strait of Hormuz, Bayraktar said the strait was currently unable to fully perform its function and that it was not known how long this situation would last.
Bayraktar said Türkiye could deliver additional volumes of oil to neighboring countries and global markets through Türkiye. He said this cooperation was particularly important for the energy supply security of European markets, adding that Türkiye could play a greater role in resolving regional problems through its energy infrastructure.
Nuclear energy target for 2050
Bayraktar said 19 percent of the increase in Türkiye's energy demand last year resulted from cooling needs, adding that applications such as seawater desalination could create additional electricity demand in the future.
Bayraktar said generation capacity and energy infrastructure needed to be strengthened to meet rising electricity demand. He added that they aimed to benefit from the potential of renewable energy sources and use energy efficiently.
Bayraktar said nuclear energy would be one of the indispensable elements of Türkiye's future energy mix, announcing that they aimed to reach at least 20 gigawatts of nuclear power generation capacity by 2050.
Bayraktar said construction of four reactors at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was continuing with Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom. He said they hoped to begin generating electricity from the first unit within the next few months. Bayraktar said they were also developing nuclear power plant projects in Sinop and Thrace, adding that Türkiye needed at least 12 large-scale conventional nuclear reactors.
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said at Russian Energy Week that the physical startup process for Akkuyu's first reactor was scheduled for the second half of December and that the project was progressing according to schedule. Likhachev said they expected the first controlled and self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction to take place before the end of the year. He said they had developed various options for Turkish investors to participate in the project, adding that the Turkish government had priority in choosing among these options.
Bayraktar said small modular reactors were also included in Türkiye's nuclear energy plans and expressed a positive assessment of the future of these technologies. He said problems in energy markets had increased the importance of international cooperation, adding that Türkiye would continue contributing to the energy supply security of neighboring countries and particularly Europe, while meeting its own energy needs.
Energy talks in Moscow
As part of his meetings in Moscow, Bayraktar met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak, Gazprom Chairman Alexey Miller and Novatek Chairman Leonid Mikhelson. The meetings addressed existing energy projects, nuclear energy, hydrocarbons, liquefied natural gas and new cooperation opportunities.
Bayraktar said he and Novak had assessed the progress of existing projects and discussed new cooperation opportunities in nuclear energy and hydrocarbons. He stressed that they were determined to develop the energy partnership with Russia on the basis of mutual trust, a long-term strategic vision and regional stability.
Bayraktar said he and Gazprom Chairman Miller had assessed cooperation in natural gas in all its aspects and discussed new opportunities to advance the partnership. During his meeting with Novatek Chairman Mikhelson, they discussed opportunities for LNG cooperation, supply processes and developments in global energy markets.
Bayraktar said Türkiye would continue taking steps to increase energy diversity and strengthen supply security.
Meeting Turkish engineers studying in Russia
Bayraktar also met with representatives of Turkish students pursuing master's degrees in nuclear engineering in Moscow. The meeting addressed the energy sector, new modular reactor projects and Türkiye's goals for independence in the energy sector.
Bayraktar said 322 of the 526 students sent to Russia to date had completed their education and begun working at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. He said they planned to send more students abroad for education in the coming period.
Bayraktar said the engineering, manufacturing and operations experience gained at Akkuyu would be transferred to the nuclear power plants planned in Sinop and Thrace, adding that trained human resources would play an important role in these projects.
