Turkey to have 11B cubic meters gas storage by 2023

By Gulsen Cagatay and Nuran Erkul

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey will increase its annual natural gas storage capacity to 11 billion cubic meters (bcm) by 2023, the nation's energy and natural resources minister said Monday in Istanbul.

Speaking at the presidential session at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress of which Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner, Berat Albayrak said that Turkey's current daily natural gas transmission system has a capacity of 190 million cubic meters.

"This daily capacity will first increase to 300 million cubic meters while we will take it up to 400 million cubic meters in two years," Albayrak said.

He also stated that Turkey, with its increased storage capacity of 11 bcm per annum by 2023, promises to be one of the biggest in the region.

Albayrak stressed that Turkey is focusing on strengthening its energy security and domestic energy resources.

"Thus, we focus on our seismic explorations both in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. We aim to reveal the gas and oil potential of these seas and want this potential to contribute to the region," he emphasized.

Turkey's first seismic vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa has already started conducting operations in the Mediterranean since April 2017 while a second vessel, MTA Oruc Reis, will soon be ready for exploration.

The 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC), the largest meeting of the oil and gas industry, started in Istanbul on Sunday, July 9.

High-level executives from leading energy companies and up to 50 energy ministers plan to attend the congress, under the theme, Bridges to our Energy Future.