Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced that renewable energy cooperation between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia would be expanded. Under a new 3,000-megawatt agreement, the total planned capacity of projects by the two countries in Türkiye is expected to reach 5,000 megawatts.
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia had previously signed an agreement covering a 2,000-megawatt renewable energy project. Bayraktar said the new agreement would be concluded as part of the United Nations Climate Conference in Antalya.
Türkiye’s electricity capacity reaches 126,000 megawatts
Bayraktar said Türkiye had made significant progress in energy and mining over the past 25 years. He said that, under efforts led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country’s installed electricity capacity had risen from 32,000 megawatts to 126,000 megawatts.
Bayraktar said approximately 95,000 megawatts of new capacity had been brought online over the past 24 years. He added that Türkiye ranked third in Europe, after France and Germany, in installed electricity capacity, electricity generation and consumption.
Bayraktar also announced that oil production had tripled, natural gas production had increased ninefold and mining exports had risen tenfold. He emphasized that the central goal of Türkiye’s “Türkiye Century” vision was energy independence.
Natural gas production target for 2028
Bayraktar said access to natural gas, which was available in only five provinces in 2002, had now reached all 81 provinces. He added that Türkiye was expected to reach its 1,000th settlement supplied with natural gas this year.
Bayraktar said natural gas production in the Black Sea was expected to double this year and quadruple by 2028. He added that, by 2028, the natural gas needs of 17 million households would be met with domestically produced gas from the Black Sea.
Oil exploration in Gabar and Diyarbakır
Referring to oil production in southeastern Türkiye, Bayraktar announced that output at the Gabar field had exceeded 83,000 barrels per day. He said more than 3,500 people, most of them from the local population, were employed in the region.
Bayraktar said oil production at Gabar was supporting economic activity, employment and development in the region while helping reduce energy imports. He said Gabar was a small example of what the “Terror-Free Türkiye” vision could produce.
Bayraktar said work was under way in Diyarbakır on unconventional oil resources and that the area could have two or three times Gabar’s production potential. He said exploration was being conducted across approximately 600 square kilometers in four fields, while the broader potential area covered 7,200 square kilometers.
Regional energy routes under consideration
Assessing the uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Bayraktar said the developments could create an opportunity to diversify energy routes and accelerate projects that Türkiye had long advocated.
He said talks held during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zeidi’s visit to Türkiye had addressed transporting a significant portion of Iraqi oil to global markets through Türkiye and the Ceyhan terminal.
Bayraktar said routes for delivering Qatari gas to Türkiye through Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and then onward to Europe, were among the options under consideration. He added that an alternative route through Iraq and the Development Road Project, as well as the possibility of delivering Kuwaiti oil to Türkiye, was also being assessed.
Bayraktar said such projects could help Türkiye, the region and global markets become more balanced and better prepared for future crises. He added that oil and natural gas exploration projects in Pakistan’s onshore and offshore areas were continuing.
Bayraktar said the seismic research vessel Oruç Reis was expected to travel to Pakistan in September or October. He announced that he would visit Pakistan in the coming weeks to discuss partnerships in mining projects.
