State energy company BOTAŞ on Monday started construction of a fourth storage tank at its terminal in northwestern Türkiye, a move that will increase the facility's LNG storage capacity by nearly 60%.

The new 160,000-cubic-meter storage tank will raise the Marmaraereğlisi LNG Terminal's total storage capacity to 415,000 cubic meters from the current 255,000 cubic meters, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

The investment is expected to improve Türkiye's flexibility in managing natural gas supplies by expanding its ability to store LNG delivered by ships, regasify it when needed and transport it via road tankers while maintaining it in liquid form.

Located in Tekirdağ province, the Marmaraereğlisi LNG Terminal plays a strategic role during periods of high natural gas demand, particularly in winter months, with a daily regasification capacity of 37 million cubic meters.

The terminal can accommodate conventional LNG carriers as well as large-capacity Q-Flex and Q-Max vessels, which are among the world's largest LNG carriers.

Around 65 LNG vessels dock at the facility annually, with the terminal meeting approximately 15% of Türkiye's annual natural gas demand.

In addition to LNG storage and regasification operations, the facility carries out road tanker loading, fuel supply and reload operations.

Strengthening resilience against energy shocks

Bayraktar said the terminal's ability to source gas from multiple markets, combined with its storage capacity and regasification infrastructure, makes it a key component of Türkiye's energy security strategy.

The minister noted that fluctuations in global energy markets have demonstrated the importance of having strong infrastructure.

Bayraktar said the new investment will "strengthen our natural gas infrastructure" and will "increase our resilience against crises."

Türkiye currently has five LNG entry points, including two LNG terminals and three floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs).

Alongside the Marmaraereğlisi LNG Terminal, BOTAŞ operates the Dörtyol and Saros FSRU facilities.

As part of Türkiye's National Energy and Mining Policy, LNG regasification capacity has increased nearly fivefold since 2016, rising from 34 million cubic meters per day to around 161 million cubic meters per day.

The government aims to raise total LNG regasification capacity to 200 million cubic meters per day with the addition of two new FSRU facilities.