Since the early 2000s, Türkiye has faced a significant increase in energy demand driven by rapid industrialization, economic growth, and a growing population. Total energy demand, measured in million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE), rose from 51.4 MTOE in 2002 to 117.5 MTOE in 2012, reaching 147 MTOE by 2021. Despite the expanding economy, the limited availability of domestically produced energy has resulted in increased dependence on imported energy sources such as oil and natural gas. Consequently, energy imports have become a major pressure on the current account balance, with annual expenditures averaging 54.6 billion USD between 2007 and 2017. This situation marked the beginning of a new era in Türkiye’s energy policy.
The Domestic and National Energy Initiative
In April 2017, then Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak unveiled the National Energy and Mining Policy, aiming to increase the utilization rates of domestic and national energy sources and to achieve greater energy independence. This policy strengthened the renewable energy framework, which was already supported by the Renewable Energy Support Mechanism (YEKDEM), and laid the groundwork for revolutionary steps in Türkiye’s energy sector. A key pillar of the policy is localization: increasing the share of domestic resources in all possible areas of energy production while reducing external dependence.
One of the most significant initiatives was the development of a deep-sea seismic survey and drilling fleet to explore Türkiye’s offshore hydrocarbon potential in its maritime jurisdiction, given its geographical position surrounded on three sides by seas. The fleet includes the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa Seismic Research Vessel, launched in 2013 under Türkiye Petroleum Corporation (TPAO); the Oruç Reis Seismic Research Vessel, fully domestically built by the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA); and the drilling vessel Fatih, acquired in 2017, which formed the foundation of Türkiye’s offshore exploration capabilities.
Strengthening Türkiye’s Maritime Presence
Following the acquisition of Fatih, Türkiye expanded its deep-sea drilling fleet with the Yavuz vessel in 2019, the Kanuni in 2020, and the Abdülhamit Han in 2022. These domestically equipped drilling ships, together with international expertise consolidated within TP-OTC under TPAO, have placed Türkiye among a select group of nations with advanced deep-sea drilling capabilities.
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Thanks to this strengthened fleet, exploration and drilling activities rapidly progressed from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. Shortly after beginning operations off the Western Black Sea coast, the Fatih drilling vessel made a landmark discovery in August 2020: the Sakarya Gas Field near Zonguldak, with an estimated 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves at the Tuna-1 well, marking the largest deepwater offshore gas discovery globally at the time.
With the addition of the Yavuz and Kanuni vessels in the region, exploration continued aggressively, leading to new discoveries and an updated reserve estimate of 710 billion cubic meters for the Sakarya Gas Field by 2021-2022. These findings suggest the possibility of even larger reserves within Türkiye’s Black Sea jurisdiction.
Progressing Toward Domestic Natural Gas Production
Following the discovery, rapid development efforts were launched by BOTAŞ and TPAO to bring the field into economic use. Employing mainly local labor—approximately 10,000 workers—and proceeding uninterrupted except during the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, the Sakarya Gas Field project has become one of the world’s fastest developing offshore hydrocarbon projects.
The infrastructure includes approximately 170 kilometers of domestically produced subsea pipelines connecting to the Filyos Natural Gas Processing Facility. This facility is planned to initially feed 10 million cubic meters of gas per day into the national gas system, with a daily capacity of 50 million cubic meters. The first gas was injected into the system on April 20, 2023.
The integration of Black Sea gas into the national grid is expected to substantially reduce Türkiye’s dependence on imported natural gas. Considering the country’s role as host to several international natural gas pipeline projects and long-term gas contracts, the Sakarya Gas Field’s reserves are projected to cover Türkiye’s gas needs for more than 30 years, thus diminishing import dependency.
From Energy Importer to Energy Exporter
With the field becoming operational, Türkiye will not only reduce natural gas imports but also gain leverage in negotiating prices under long-term contracts with traditional suppliers such as Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters like Algeria, Nigeria, and Egypt. Previously almost entirely dependent on imports (about 99% of consumption), Türkiye is poised to become a producer and user of domestic natural gas.
Reducing import dependency will also alleviate Türkiye’s trade deficit caused by energy expenditures. In 2022, energy imports cost Türkiye approximately 97 billion USD amid a global energy crisis. By lowering this figure, Türkiye could restore a current account surplus.
Furthermore, Türkiye's growing natural gas reserves and infrastructure support its ambition to become a regional energy trade hub. After the Ukraine conflict, efforts to establish a gas trade center accelerated. Due to its geographic position amidst energy-importing neighbors, Türkiye could evolve into a center for gas aggregation and pricing. Leveraging EPİAŞ’s experience in natural gas markets, Türkiye aims to create a transparent and predictable international natural gas market, facilitating its transformation into a trading hub for Eastern Europe.
Finally, the integration of Black Sea gas into the national system may provide alternative gas supplies to Eastern European and Balkan countries seeking options post-Ukraine conflict. Existing interconnector pipelines with Greece (operational since 2007) and recent gas agreements with Bulgaria may ease Turkish gas exports to these markets. Thus, Türkiye’s energy strategy not only reduces domestic import costs by utilizing local production but also enables revenue generation through exports, strengthening Türkiye’s regional and international influence.
