President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the Fatih drilling vessel discovered an additional 58 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas reserves at a depth of 3,023 meters at Çaycuma 1 block off the Black Sea.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting of the year in the capital Ankara on Monday, the President said that the new discovery would significantly contribute to the country's energy independence.
He noted that Türkiye's natural gas reserves in the Black Sea totals 710 bcm, with a market value of $1 trillion.
"Türkiye's ultimate goal is to declare energy independence from foreign oil and natural gas as soon as possible," the President said. He continued by saying that the new discovery would further extend to nearby fields and that Türkiye would soon embark upon new drilling activities.
"We are determined to ensure that Türkiye becomes the center of energy in the Caspian and Mediterranean Sea regions, and the Middle East," he said, adding that the country would also be a link between the East and the West with its energy bridges.
Ankara aims to start pumping the gas to the national grid in 2023, the centennial of the founding of modern Türkiye, with sustained plateau production starting in 2027-2028.
Türkiye currently has two seismic research ships, the Oruç Reis and the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, and three drillships: Fatih, Kanuni and Yavuz operating. The three drilling vessels are expected to soon join hands and operate simultaneously in the Black Sea to expedite tasks of utilizing the natural gas discovered in the region.
In 2022, the country drilled 94 exploration wells and 56 production wells. In 2023, according to previous statements from the Energy Minister, the country will have a total of 207 wells with 134 exploration and 73 production centers.
Stepping up with energy infrastructure investments, Türkiye's future energy roadmap includes diversifying the sources as well as benefiting from its own reserves in the Black Sea.
According to plans, Türkiye wants to decrease foreign dependency on energy, which is 71% as of 2021, to under 50% in the next 10 years and to 13% in 2053.