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Oil production in the Gabar Mountains, located in Türkiye’s southeastern Sirnak province, has reached 80,000 barrels per day, tripling since 2016, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on Thursday.
Speaking at a Ramadan iftar (fast-breaking dinner) event organized by the Ankara branch of the Türkiye Youth Foundation (TUGVA), Bayraktar highlighted the significance of exploration activities in areas that were previously inaccessible due to security concerns.
“In Sirnak, in a region once associated with terrorism, we made the largest oil discovery in the history of the Republic in 2021,” Bayraktar said.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to ending Türkiye’s dependence on foreign energy, asserting that achieving energy independence would pave the way for a stronger economy and a more resilient country.
Minister Bayraktar also pointed out that Türkiye now possesses one of the most modern drilling fleets in the world, comprising the vessels Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, and Abdulhamid Han, capable of drilling up to 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) deep.
He noted that some foreign companies withdrew from projects in the Eastern Mediterranean after disputes arose with Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration over maritime jurisdiction claims. Despite this, Türkiye continued operations independently, relying on its own engineers, workers, and technicians.
Bayraktar recalled the 2020 discovery of 710 billion cubic meters (25.07 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas in the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea, calling it a milestone.
“We are determined to explore, discover, and produce every resource we have in this country. With that goal in mind, we are extracting natural gas 170 kilometers offshore in the Black Sea,” he said, adding that more than 3 million Turkish households now use domestically produced natural gas.
Bayraktar concluded his remarks by saying, “What we have accomplished so far is only a fraction of what lies ahead. We have much more work to do, and, God willing, we will have great news to share with our nation.”
“We are now entering a new phase in petroleum and natural gas exploration in Türkiye,” he added.
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