Ankara is working on a new agreement with Azerbaijan on gas supplies from the Karabakh oil and gas field, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said, Report informs, citing the international rating agency S&P Global.
According to Bayraktar, an agreement has been reached to start importing gas from this field in 2028-2029.
Speaking about Türkiye's broader plans in the gas sector, Alparslan Bayraktar noted that the country has been significantly dependent on supplies from Russia and Iran for many years.
"The terms of these agreements will soon expire, and we need to find alternative gas sources," the minister emphasized, noting the importance of diversifying the gas portfolio and developing competition in the domestic market.
He also noted that in March, Türkiye began importing gas from Turkmenistan through a swap deal with Iran.
"This year we will receive 1.3 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan via Iran. Over the past decade, Türkiye has significantly invested in gas infrastructure, and our import capabilities are no longer limited to pipelines only," said Bayraktar.
The minister also noted that Türkiye has increased LNG regasification capacity from 30 million cubic meters per day to 160 million cubic meters and plans to bring it to 200 million cubic meters.
"Currently, about 25% of Türkiye's gas needs are covered by LNG," he added.
In addition, Bayraktar emphasized Türkiye's commitment to developing its own energy resources.
According to him, production at the Sakarya field in the Black Sea currently amounts to about 7 million cubic meters of gas per day and will increase to 9 million cubic meters in April.
"In the third quarter of 2026, production will reach 20 million cubic meters per day, and by 2028 - 40 million cubic meters," the minister said.
The Karabakh oil field is located 120 km east of Baku, 20-25 km from the Caspian Guneshli field, at a depth of 150-200 meters. The Ashrafi - Dan Ulduzu - Aypara structure is located 90-110 km northeast of Baku, at a depth of 80-180 meters.
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Norwegian company Equinor signed a PSA on May 31, 2018, for the exploration and development of the block of promising structures Ashrafi - Dan Ulduzu - Aypara and a Risk Service Contract for the development of the Karabakh field. To implement the project, SOCAR and Equinor created an operating company on a parity basis. However, in December 2023, Equinor sold its 50% stake in these projects to SOCAR. The deal was closed on April 24, 2024.