This year's March to usher all-new era for Turkish energy independence

Efforts to put Türkiye's Black Sea natural gas reserves into use in March continue without disruption, Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) General Manager Melih Han Bilgin said on January 8.

"We are approaching the final stage of the works," he told Anadolu Agency (AA), according to Daily Sabah.

Bilgin said that the works carried out at sea and on the seabed as well as marine transmission lines and land production facilities are continuing rapidly.

Emphasizing that the TPAO is working hard to put the Black Sea gas into use by March, Bilgin said, "The functional tests for the commissioning of the latest facility are being implemented step by step."

Most recently, in December, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the drillship Fatih had discovered an additional 58 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas reserves at a depth of 3,023 meters (9,917 feet) at the Çaycuma 1 block in the Black Sea.

He noted that Türkiye's natural gas reserves in the Black Sea total 710 bcm, with a market value of $1 trillion (TL 18.75 trillion).

Ankara aims to start pumping the gas to the national grid in 2023, the centennial of modern Türkiye, with sustained plateau production beginning in 2027-2028.

Türkiye currently operates two seismic research ships, the Oruç Reis and the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, and three drillships: Fatih, Kanuni and Yavuz. The three drilling vessels are expected to join hands soon and work simultaneously in the Black Sea to expedite utilizing the natural gas discovered in the region.

In 2022, the country drilled 94 exploration wells and 56 production wells. In 2023, according to previous statements from the energy minister, the government will have a total of 207 wells with 134 exploration and 73 production centres.