Turkey has discovered natural gas in the Black Sea: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the Black Sea.

“Our Fatih drilling ship has discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the Tuna-1 well,” Erdogan said in a television speech from the Dolmabahis Palace here.

According to Xinhua, “Turkey has discovered the largest natural gas in its history,” adding that new natural gas is likely to be discovered in the same area in the near future.

“We aim to provide Black Sea gas to use in 2023,” he said.
The Fatah vessel began its drilling activities at the end of July in an exploration area known as Tuna-1 of northern Zonguldak province in the Black Sea region.

The Turkish leader also said that Turkey would accelerate its drilling activities in the Mediterranean Sea.

“We hope that similar good news will come from the Mediterranean Sea,” he insisted, adding that his country would not cease its efforts unless it was a net energy exporter.

“We are determined to fully resolve our energy issue,” the president emphasized.

Turkey and its NATO ally Greece have long been in the Mediterranean as a crisis over energy resources as Ankara opposes drilling efforts of several countries without their involvement.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatah Donmez said the analysis showed that the quality of the gas discovered in the Black Sea is remarkably high.

“This will have a positive impact on costs in the coming period,” Donmez said in a live broadcast from the Fatah vessel.

The minister also said that 6,000 square kilometers of seismic work will be done in the area to find more gas.