Following a recent deal with ExxonMobil covering new exploration areas in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, as well as other potential international areas, Turkish authorities plan to sign a similar agreement with another U.S. energy giant, Chevron, a top official announced on Wednesday.
Speaking to the private broadcaster, A Para, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar suggested they aimed to continue with international partnerships in the upcoming period.
Recalling the deals reached with Azerbaijan and Exxon, Bayraktar said: "We are now making a similar agreement with another American company, Chevron. The signatures will be put in Istanbul in February."
"This will not be the last; in the future, we will continue these agreements with international partnerships and share concrete projects with our nation," he added.
Earlier this month, Turkish state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) signed a deal with a unit of U.S. oil and gas giant ExxonMobil covering new exploration areas in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, as well as other potential international areas to be mutually agreed upon.
Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that TPAO was in talks with Chevron, indicating that the company would work with Chevron on seismic studies and drilling.
Answering the questions during the live interview, Bayraktar also reiterated that authorities were pursuing the "Turkish way" in the energy sector, describing it as "a more holistic and comprehensive set of policies."
Also, recalling the vision placed forth in 2016, he explained that this year marks 10 years and that while they started seeing its results through discoveries such as Sakarya and Gabar, they were moving now to its 2.0 version.
Turkish authorities are looking to integrate different resources into the country's energy mix, including renewables and nuclear, amid expectations for soaring electricity demand, with the aim of energy-independent nation.
The minister also noted that renewable energy contributes to supply security and stated that they will continue with the Renewable Energy Resource Area (YEKA) tenders.
At the same time, Bayraktar stated that Türkiye aims to increase its gold production to 60 tons initially, and then to 100 tons as he evaluated the efforts for gold production abroad.
"Our equipment has arrived in Niger, and within the next few months, we will be producing Türkiye's first gold produced abroad from Niger," he said.
