Türkiye edges closer to becoming key natural gas hub - minister

Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said his country has come closer to implementing the project to create an international gas hub on its territory.

"We are very close to achieving the goal of creating a gas hub. We have taken serious steps in this direction. We have a ready infrastructure," the minister said on air of a Turkish TV channel, according to Caliber.Az.

The potential Turkish gas hub is a strategic initiative aimed at transforming Türkiye into a major center for natural gas trade and distribution. This concept involves leveraging Türkiye's geographic position and infrastructure to become a pivotal hub for transporting natural gas between producers in the East (such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and the Middle East) and consumers in Europe and beyond.

In recent years, Türkiye has actively pursued agreements and collaborations with various countries and companies to strengthen its position as a gas hub. The TurkStream and TANAP pipelines are key elements of this strategy, enabling the transportation of gas to and through Türkiye.

For European countries, a Turkish gas hub offers an opportunity to diversify their energy sources, reducing dependence on a single supplier, notably Russia. This aligns with broader European goals of enhancing energy security through diversification of supply routes and sources.