Turkey Expands Geological Exploration Activities

The Turkish National Oil and Gas Company, TPAO, plans to increase oil production to 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2028, with a long-term goal of reaching 1 million bpd. This was announced by Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, during the deployment ceremony of the country's first floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit, Osman Gazi, to a field in the Black Sea.
According to the Minister, TPAO has managed to double its production volumes over the past five years to approximately 300,000 bpd, driven by the discovery of new fields.
"In 2028, we will raise this figure to 550,000 barrels, and hopefully, we will achieve our target of 1 million barrels per day. We continue our search for new gas and oil fields in the Black Sea," Bayraktar stated.
He also noted that Turkey is expanding its geological exploration activities beyond its borders. According to him, exploration operations are currently underway in Somalia, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Oman, and Libya.
Concurrently, Ankara intends to scale up proven natural gas reserves at the Sakarya field in the Black Sea and continue drilling operations in other parts of the region. Geological exploration is also being conducted in southeastern Turkey in search of new oil and gas deposits.
Bayraktar emphasized that the country possesses substantial technical capabilities to execute these plans.
"Today, Turkey operates six deepwater drilling vessels, two seismic research vessels, and support ships, boasting the fourth largest energy fleet in the world," the Minister said.
According to him, Turkey aims to utilize its own vessels, equipment, and engineering talent to strengthen its standing in the energy sector, ultimately becoming a regional leader and a global player in the industry.