Türkiye's oil production in eastern region exceeds 30,000 barrels per day: Energy minister

By Fuat Kabakci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's oil production in the southeastern Gabar region has exceeded 30,000 barrels per day (bpd), Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Thursday.

“We found oil in Gabar,” Bayraktar said referring to the region in Türkiye’s southeastern Sirnak province. “We extract oil in Gabar and now, we have exceeded 30,000 bpd," he said, according to a statement from the ministry.

"As we did in Gabar, we will explore natural gas within our inland borders and end Türkiye’s reliance on energy imports," he added.

Bayraktar’s remarks came during a meeting in Ankara, where various issues including the Black Sea natural gas, Gabar oil discovery and nuclear energy were discussed.

Noting that one of the biggest obstacles to becoming a great and powerful country is Türkiye’s dependence on imported energy resources, Bayraktar said Türkiye aims to be fully independent in energy "within the next 30 years.”

Last week, the country's state-owned oil company Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) announced that the country's daily oil production in the Gabar region reached 30,000 barrels.

“Record oil production at Gabar, 30,000 barrels per day,” the TPAO said on X.

Türkiye “reached a daily oil production of 30,000 barrels from 23 wells” in recently discovered fields in the Gabar Mountain region, it added.

The company set its production target at 35,000 bpd for 2023 and 100,000 bpd for 2024.

The country has boosted its efforts for oil and gas exploration activities since 2020. The oil production has reached record levels with the newly discovered reserves in the Gabar region.

* Writing by Handan Kazanci