Türkiye plans to build underground gas storage facilities in Turkmenistan

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, has said that Türkiye is considering investing in the construction of underground gas storage facilities in Turkmenistan.

He made the remarks while commenting on the results of a two-day visit to Ashgabat, Caliber.Az reports, citing Azerbaijani state media.

The minister highlighted that the Turkish state-owned company BOTAŞ has extensive experience in building gas storage facilities.

"Currently, Türkiye operates underground gas storage (UGS) facilities with an active reserve of 6 billion cubic meters. By 2028, we plan to double this reserve to 12 billion cubic meters. We are also ready to share our expertise," Bayraktar said.

Regarding the potential supply of Turkmen gas to Türkiye, the energy minister noted that Ankara aims to receive 15 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Turkmenistan over the next 20 years.

"In total, we plan to purchase 300 billion cubic meters of gas, but this requires a pipeline. Initially, we will use a swap supply scheme, which will ensure the delivery of 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year," the minister added.

Bayraktar also mentioned that during his visit to Ashgabat, he discussed the joint extraction of gas from Turkmenistan's fields.

"In Ashgabat, we discussed the full range of cooperation. In the first stage, we will be able to meet the needs of Southeastern European countries. The most effective solution is certainly a pipeline through the Caspian Sea," said the energy minister.