Türkiye's liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure can meet nearly half of the country’s total natural gas demand, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Saturday.
He also noted that Türkiye’s LNG capacity is sufficient to supply the equivalent of household demand, even during the coldest winter days when consumption peaks.
In a written statement shared by the Energy Ministry, Bayraktar emphasized that, in addition to domestic production, diversification of supply sources and routes has strengthened energy security.
Türkiye currently operates five LNG facilities, including two land-based terminals and three Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), the minister recalled.
“Our LNG regasification capacity, which was 34 million cubic meters (mcm) per day in 2016 when we implemented the National Energy and Mining Policy, has now reached 161 million cubic meters, an increase of approximately fivefold,” he said.
“As of today, Türkiye can now receive almost half of the natural gas it needs as LNG via ships,” he further said.
Furthermore, noting that Türkiye needs an average of 330 million cubic meters of natural gas per day during consumption peaks, he added: "Our LNG capacity is large enough to meet the entire amount of natural gas our citizens need in their homes, even on the coldest winter days when consumption peaks."
Additionally, Bayraktar stated that in addition to boosting regasification capacity, they have increased the number of entry points in the national natural gas network to 14, thus increasing total daily gas import capacity to 495 million cubic meters.
Liquefaction of natural gas is used to reduce its volume for international trade and make it more easily transportable. During liquefaction, natural gas is cooled and compressed, reducing its volume by approximately 600 times.
Türkiye, which can regasify liquid natural gas at its LNG facilities and FSRU units, has this capability, allowing it to import LNG from anywhere in the world and achieving a cost advantage, the ministry's statement said.
