The first pipe welding to bring Black Sea natural gas to Turkey's shores is due to start in July, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez on Friday.
Speaking at the 5th Energy and Natural Resources Summit organized by Turkuvaz Media Group and the Para (Money) magazine, Dönmez said the 170-kilometer-long (106-mile-long) pipeline will be laid at a water depth of 2,200 meters (7,218 feet) in the Black Sea, where drilling has so far yielded an output of 540 billion cubic meters.
"All the pipelines to carry Black Sea gas onshore will be in Filyos next month. After mandatory checks, we hope to start the first pipe welding before positioning them on the seabed," he declared.
Dönmez confirmed that the works are currently on schedule for gas usage next year.
Natural gas from the Sakarya Field will be transferred to the Black Sea coastal town of Filyos in 2023 where a natural gas processing facility will be established.
Dönmez said that flow tests in the Turkali-1 and Turkali-2 wells in the Black Sea have been finalized, with the former achieving a daily gas flow of 1.7 million cubic meters and the latter reaching 2.6 million cubic meters.
"The test results show that gas production of 3 million cubic meters per day on average from each well is possible," he confirmed.
As part of the country’s plan to become more energy independent, plans are afoot to expand drilling operations in the Black Sea. To this end, a fourth drillship was added last week to the existing fleet of three.
"The fourth ship is currently docked at the Taşucu Port in Mersin. Following maintenance, it will sail for its first drilling operation," he said.
YEKA tenders
The country is similarly expanding its share of renewables in its energy mix.
The energy minister confirmed that Renewable Energy Resource Zone (YEKA) tenders have become the main drivers of renewables growth along with local resources, generating 65% of the country's installed power at a cumulative capacity of 4,250 megawatts (MW).
"In the coming period, this quantity will reach 7,000 MW thanks to the upcoming 2,750 MW capacity tenders. The application deadline for YEKA RES-3 (wind) tenders is May 31. We will start to accept applications for YEKA GES-4 (solar) from June 21, and we will finalize the tenders as quickly as possible," he concluded.