Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar on Saturday affirmed Türkiye’s commitment to a stable energy supply and stressed the country’s preparedness for the upcoming winter, also addressing ongoing negotiations for new nuclear power plant projects.
“Especially in the winter, we are more sensitive in the natural gas sector. We are filling our storages adequately to brace for the winter,” Bayraktar said during an interview with broadcaster A Haber.
Bayraktar stressed that the government had taken proactive measures to tackle potentially harsh winter conditions and that efforts were underway to secure additional resources.
“We are also working on bringing additional gas sources to Türkiye. We do not anticipate any problems related to energy supply security this winter. We do not expect any surprises,” the minister said.
Türkiye heavily relies on external sources for its energy needs but has ramped up investments and explorations to curb external dependence. It currently imports nearly all its gas, mainly from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, and has extensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.
Bayraktar recalled Türkiye’s long-standing partnership with Russia in gas supply since 1986, emphasizing the reliability of this collaboration even during challenging times.
He expressed optimism about the commitments from other suppliers, including Azerbaijan and Iran, assuring that Türkiye’s robust infrastructure investments would safeguard the nation’s energy needs.
“I hope that we will face no issues with our other suppliers, encompassing both Azerbaijan and Iran, fulfilling their obligations, including our liquefied natural gas providers. We have made substantial investments in our infrastructure,” said Bayraktar.
“This has bolstered our storage capacity, LNG procurement ability, and gasification capability and I do not see us encountering any problems,” he noted.
“Of course, we closely monitor developments worldwide.”
Meanwhile, Türkiye is also pushing its own gas exporting agenda. It recently signed deals to supply Romania, Moldova and others with natural gas. Bayraktar last week said the country was getting requests from other European countries, including Germany, to procure it.
Türkiye has also been focusing on renewable resources and nuclear energy as part of its ambitious plan to become a carbon-neutral economy by 2053. It plans to triple its renewable energy capacity by then and sees nuclear energy as the primary option to reduce coal’s share in electricity generation.
Russia is currently constructing Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, on the Mediterranean coast, which could eventually reduce the country’s dependence on foreign gas imports.
Bayraktar stressed that the Akkuyu, with its four reactors, aims to contribute 10% of Türkiye’s energy needs.
“We are targeting to produce electricity from the first reactor of the Akkuyu plant in 2024. By 2028, all four reactors will be operational, providing 10% of Türkiye’s energy demand, free of carbon emissions. This is a significant step that also serves Türkiye’s goal of becoming a carbon-neutral economy by 2053,” said the minister.
To achieve this goal, Bayraktar said Türkiye needs to set up nuclear power plants in the Thrace region and the Black Sea province of Sinop, noting that efforts were underway in this framework.
Türkiye also plans to expand its gas infrastructure in the northwest Thrace region, connecting liquefied natural gas gasification terminals and an upgraded storage facility in Silivri.
Its ultimate goal is to increase electricity production capacity from nuclear energy to 20 gigawatts, nearly four times what the Akkuyu plant could generate when operating at full capacity.
Bayraktar last month said Türkiye hoped to finalize discussions with China and strike a deal on constructing the country’s third nuclear power plant “within the next few months.” Türkiye has also been discussing building a second power plant in Sinop.
On Saturday, Bayraktar said negotiations were ongoing with South Korea, Russia and China, stating that discussions were also focused on technology transfer, employment, and ensuring competitive electricity prices.
“We do not have a signed agreement yet, but our very intensive negotiations are continuing with these three countries both for Sinop and for Thrace,” he noted.
“We will say yes to the project that can be formed with technology transfer, localization, domestic employment and, of course, the most economical, most competitive electricity price for our country and we will walk within this framework.”
