Turkey starts laying Black Sea natural gas pipeline to wean off reliance on energy imports

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lauded the start of work on an underwater pipeline to tap a Black Sea natural gas resource, which, the government hopes, would help the country wean off its reliance on energy imports. According to reports, the first pipeline portion was laid and connected to the seabed from the port of Filyos, around 400 kilometres east of Istanbul on the Black Sea coast, as President Erdogan oversaw through a video link.

The Turkish President claimed that by the first quarter of 2023, the Sakarya gas field may produce 10 million cubic metres of natural gas. Located around 170 kilometres out of the sea, the Sakarya gas field was discovered in August 2020. Back then, Erdogan had referred to it as "Turkey's largest natural gas field," claiming estimated reserves of 320 billion cubic metres. "Today, we are excited to reach a critical stage in the Black Sea gas, which is the biggest natural gas discovery of our country so far. Hopefully, in the first quarter of 2023, we will transfer 10 million cubic meters of natural gas, to be produced in the first phase per day, to our national transmission system," Erdogan wrote in a Twitter post.

Erdogan vows to make all efforts until Turkey fully ensure its energy security

Furthermore, the Turkish President also expected the Sakarya gas field to reach its peak production in 2026. "We will continue our efforts until we can fully ensure our energy security," he asserted, as per Hürriyet Daily News. It is pertinent to mention here that Russia supplied 45% of Turkey's gas in 2021, with the remaining coming from Iran and Azerbaijan. According to official figures, Turkey's annual gas consumption increased from 48 billion cubic metres in 2020 to 60 billion cubic metres in 2021, and is predicted to reach 62-63 billion cubic metres this year. 

Turkey suspects conspiracy behind Black Sea mines located off country's coast

Earlier in the month of April, Turkey claimed that mines discovered off the country's coast were placed in the Black Sea on purpose as a pretext for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) minesweepers to be deployed to the region amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In a meeting with the country's Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) on April 11, Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had raised suspicion as to whether the mines were placed intentionally. "Maybe these mines were left within a plan for NATO minesweepers to enter the Black Sea," Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by Hürriyet Daily News.

Image: AP