A massive reserve of shale gas has been discovered in Turkey's northwestern Bursa province, the head of the Turkish Mining Development Foundation said.

Speaking at the International Energy Raw Materials and Energy Summit (INERMA), Güven Önal said on Saturday that the Göynük district of Bursa is home to 'a few billion tons' of shale gas.

Önal said that the Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration is still researching the reserves which include layers of shale gas and hydrocarbon.

He said that the hydrocarbon could be used to produce petrol and coal.

Shale gas research is relatively new in Turkey, and a production phase has not yet been reached, Önal said, adding that he believes the country would start utilizing the reserves within the next 10 years.

The residents of Göynük, a small district with a population of 15,371 which has kept its historic and cultural inheritance well preserved, are not yet aware of the natural reserve, Önal claimed.

Several countries including Luxembourg, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Scotland have banned fracking, the process of extracting shale gas, due to the damage which the process inflicts to the environment.