Türkiye intends to expand oil and gas exploration areas at the expense of the southeastern shelf of the Black Sea, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez said, Report informs referring to TASS.
“Until the end of 2023, we will conduct exploratory drilling both on the shelf of Ordu province and on the shelf in Rize. We expect to find natural gas and oil in Rize in Ordu,” the Star newspaper quoted the minister as saying on May 24. Both provinces are located in the north-east of Türkiye on the Black Sea coast.
In addition, Donmez said that the oil found in the southeast of Türkiye is of high quality. “Oil from the Esma-Cevik field is of extremely high quality, similar to Brent. Last year, our production there amounted to 80,000 barrels per day, and we are increasing it to 100,000,” the minister said. In the short term, it is planned to open dozens more wells and bring the total oil production to 200,000 barrels per day, which will cover 22% of domestic consumption, he noted. However, Donmez acknowledged that drilling in mountainous regions is quite difficult and requires the preparation of complex and expensive infrastructure.
The minister also said that it was decided to call the Turkish oil grade Turkish Delight after the name of the well-known brand of Turkish lokum.