Türkiye can play a role in addressing the global energy crisis by utilizing its five liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said Friday.
Dönmez told Al-Jazeera that some of the terminals are available, particularly in the summer, and that they can be used to deliver gas to European countries if requested.
He said that Türkiye is one of the nations that are closest to the natural gas and oil-supplying countries. "Türkiye is the most suitable point where the supply and demand will meet," he said.
"We are a country that can bring gas from about 15 countries. This infrastructure mostly serves domestic needs but also has the capacity to provide services to Europe," he said.
The country earlier announced that it is set to send natural gas to Bulgaria under an agreement signed between the two countries.
Bulgarian Energy Minister Rossen Hristov previously said that negotiations were related to the use of 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of capacity from Türkiye’s LNG terminals.
Commenting on Türkiye’s energy sector, Dönmez said some 20 years ago the country was dependent only on Russian gas but has now constructed new pipelines, supplying both Türkiye and further into Europe.
He said the country imports natural gas from Azerbaijan and Iran and has diversified sources with its five LNG terminals, two of which are on land and three at sea.
"With this, we have ensured diversity of supplies. We buy LNG from Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria, and especially the Gulf countries. We also buy from the U.S. from time to time," he said.
"When we look at the capacity and number of LNG terminals, Europe probably does not have as much capacity as we do. They have only increased LNG capacity and terminals in recent years," Dönmez said.
The minister emphasized that the circumstances today show that the investments Türkiye has made so far have enabled the nation to easily manage the energy crisis today.
Türkiye’s gas consumption is around 55 to 60 bcm.
"We are one of the four countries that consume the most gas in Europe. However, we have the opportunity to bring and connect 100 bcm of gas per year to the Turkish national system with both pipelines and LNG terminals," Dönmez said.
He said this means that Türkiye can ship 40 bcm of gas to Europe, if needed.
About the planned gas trading center in Türkiye, he said the gas center will be operational within a year.
"There are no gas trading centers in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The countries in the region that we are in contact with also support this gas center project. Hopefully, we will be able to operate the gas center within a year," he said.
Dönmez also commented on Türkiye’s natural gas exploration and drilling activities in the Black Sea where the country has discovered 710 bcm gas reserves so far. "There is a significant potential in the Black Sea region," Dönmez said, noting that the country has conducted 2,880 tests in the Sakarya Gas Field.
Ankara aims to start pumping the gas to the national grid in 2023, the centennial of modern Türkiye, with sustained plateau production beginning in 2027-2028.