Daily natural gas production in the Sakarya field in the Black Sea has reached about 9.5 million cubic meters, Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said. This production now covers about 6.6% of the country's annual consumption, which amounts to 53 billion cubic meters, according to calculations by "Reuters", reports News.bg.
Speaking to reporters in the province of Giresun, Bayraktar announced that an agreement is expected to be signed next month between the state-owned energy company TPAO and a foreign partner to explore a new gas block in the Bulgarian economic zone in the Black Sea. “We will finalize an agreement in Bulgarian waters very soon. "Most likely, TPAO and a foreign company will sign a contract next month," the minister said.
Turkey, which imports over 90 percent of its energy needs, is stepping up efforts to reduce its dependence on imports by developing domestic resources and expanding international energy partnerships.
Bayraktar also said Turkey was interested in two new offshore blocks in the Caspian region, including in Azerbaijan, as well as in deposits in northern and southern Iraq. In Somalia, where an agreement was recently signed for oil and gas exploration, seismic surveys are expected to be completed by the end of May, and a decision on drilling will be made by the end of the year.
Turkey has expanded its licensing rights onshore in Somalia, and has also signed agreements with Pakistani companies for joint applications for offshore licenses off the coast of Pakistan. In addition, Ankara is working to establish partnerships to develop fields in Turkmenistan, from where it recently began importing natural gas.