Discussions with potential customers for Türkiye's first homegrown onshore drilling rig, the Koca Yusuf TP1500, used in the oil production activities in the country's southeast, have already begun, Petrotek chairperson of the board of directors, Özgür Çağlan Kuyumcu told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday.

The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) opened its doors to the global energy sector, including Türkiye's onshore drilling rig manufacturer Petrotek, on Nov. 4 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The company unveiled its drilling rig, which is a next-generation, fully electric rig controlled entirely by electric motors while operating with automation, at the exhibition, Kuyumcu said, noting that ADIPEC is the world's largest event for the oil sector.

"We wanted to hear the opinions of sector participants regarding the rig," Kuyumcu said, adding that he welcomed such positive interest in the rig.

Indicating that there could be some requests for proposals, he said the company is also conducting various discussions at the technical level.

"We believe this will be a promising step toward export. The talks are going very well. We've started discussions with interested customers who know what they want and we believe more will follow as the exhibition has just started," Kuyumcu said.

Kuyumcu said they are considering producing different versions of the rig to meet the specific needs of the Gulf countries, the Turkic republics and African nations.

Since 2020, Türkiye has boosted efforts for oil and gas exploration, resulting in newly discovered reserves in the southeastern Gabar region. According to the firm, the rig is utilized in the Gabar Mountain region.

The rig is referred to as the "TP1500 model" because of its 1,500 horsepower and 350-ton hook load capability. This yields a theoretical drilling capacity of 5,000 meters (16,405 feet). It features a 43-meter mast with a height of 50 meters.