Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar on Sunday reaffirmed Türkiye's long quest to reduce its reliance on imports, stressing the nation's expanding oil and natural gas production, as well as its commitment to harnessing renewable resources.

Türkiye is highly dependent on oil and gas from abroad and a hefty energy bill is among the biggest challenges before the government that seeks to curb the chronic trade and current account deficits and rely more on domestic resources to meet its needs.

The country started pumping out natural gas from its vast offshore field in the Black Sea last year and launched oil production in the Gabar region of the eastern Sirnak province, where it discovered a large reserve in late 2021.

That reserve, marking the country's most substantial onshore oil discovery in its history, has matured into a major production hub, according to Bayraktar. He said the production from the field has been ramped up to 45,000 barrels per day (bpd).

"Currently, we are extracting oil from 41 wells. Our target is to expand to 95 wells and boost daily production to 100,000 barrels by the end of the year," Bayraktar told an event in the Black Sea province of Trabzon.

"We need to discover more fields like Gabar to meet our daily oil demand of 1 million barrels."

The output in Gabar gradually rose from 25,000 bpd in October to 30,000 bpd in December before reaching 35,000 this January.

Türkiye is currently importing gas from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran via pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from several other countries.

Its external dependence left it vulnerable to rising costs that surged following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Over the years, Türkiye has made significant advances in offshore energy exploration, now possessing one of the world's largest deep-sea fleets, including four drilling ships and two seismic vessels.

This fleet has been instrumental in exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, which is home to a reserve that is believed to contain 710 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas.

The Sakarya gas field off the northwestern Zonguldak province was gradually discovered in August 2020.

Production from the field has reached 5.5 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas daily, Bayraktar said, with plans to double this output in the near future to meet the needs of 5 million households.

"We are today producing enough natural gas to supply 2.4 million households," said the minister. "Hopefully, in the coming months, we will increase this to 10 million cubic meters in the first stage, which will meet the natural gas needs of 5 million households."

The reserve will meet approximately 30% of the nation's annual gas need once the production reaches total capacity. The output is aimed to eventually reach 40 mcm in the final phase, enough to supply up to 15 million households.

Bayraktar underscored the strategic imperative of ensuring energy security to meet Türkiye's growing demands for natural gas, oil and electricity. Noting that approximately 67% of the nation's energy needs are met through imports, he highlighted the economic strain this dependence causes, particularly in terms of foreign exchange and current account deficits.

"Reducing our reliance on imports by maximizing the use of domestic and renewable energy sources is our primary policy objective," Bayraktar said. He pointed out Türkiye's vast potential in renewable energy, with significant resources in solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy.

"To date, we have achieved an installed capacity of 27,000 megawatts from solar and wind. We aim to add 60,000 megawatts by 2035, increasing our annual investment in solar and wind energy by 5,000 megawatts," Bayraktar said.

Renewable energy currently accounts for about 55% of the country's total installed electricity capacity.

The government has also launched the Türkiye National Energy Efficiency Action Plan for 2024-2030, aiming for $20 billion in investments to improve energy efficiency by 16%.

The initiative aims to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption across various sectors, including industry, buildings, transportation and agriculture, said Bayraktar.

The minister highlighted the importance of diversifying energy sources and said the nation's nuclear energy ambitions are a key component of this strategy, with ongoing projects in southern Mersin province and plans for further expansion.

Türkiye plans to triple its renewable energy capacity by 2053 as it strives to become a carbon-neutral economy.

It looks to increase electricity production capacity from nuclear energy to nearly four times what its first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, will generate once it becomes fully operational by 2028.

The plant will boast four reactors with a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts and will supply 10% of Türkiye's electricity consumption.

The initial reactor of the plant is almost complete and is planned to start producing electricity within less than a year.

Its commissioning will help the nation further diversify the fuel mix while reducing 35 million tons of carbon emission annually and contributing to its energy security.

Türkiye also plans large-scale nuclear power plant projects in the Black Sea city of Sinop and Thrace and has been talking with several countries, including Russia and China, for the plants. Officials have also expressed the country's intention to invest in small modular reactors.

"Türkiye absolutely needs 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2050. All of these are among our most important energy strategies to achieve more sustainable development, reduce foreign dependency and become an energy-independent country with a stronger economy," said Bayraktar.