Turkey’s energy sector is experiencing a significant boost as daily oil output reaches 132,000 barrels, a milestone achieved through intensified exploration efforts. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar disclosed that Turkey plans to drill 153 oil wells in 2025, focusing on southeastern areas such as Şırnak's Gabar region, as well as sites in Van, Diyarbakır, and along the northern Turkey-Syria border. The historic oil discovery in Gabar in 2021 has already yielded 78,000 barrels from 95 wells, contributing about $2bn annually to the national economy.
In tandem with the oil exploration push, Turkey is also expanding its natural gas production. The Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea, discovered in 2020, currently produces 7 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas daily. The government aims to increase this capacity to 9.5 mcm by the end of March and eventually boost production to 20 mcm by mid-2026, which would meet the daily needs of roughly 8.5 million households. This dual focus on oil and gas is supported by a comprehensive 2025 Investment Program, allocating TL 259bn for energy projects, including TL 140.7bn for exploration and production and TL 45.8bn for natural gas storage and transmission infrastructure.
To further enhance production, Turkey is investing in its energy fleet by adding new drilling vessels and a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit, which will be redeployed from maintenance in Çanakkale to the Black Sea in May. These initiatives underscore Turkey’s broader ambition to boost domestic energy production and reduce reliance on external sources, ensuring greater energy security in an increasingly volatile global market.
