Türkiye will begin supplying natural gas to Syria soon, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Wednesday during a visit to Vienna. He also noted that Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, could become a partner in the project.
Bayraktar was in the Austrian capital for a seminar hosted by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), where he held talks with counterparts from several countries.
During a visit to Damascus in May, Bayraktar said Türkiye would provide 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Syria annually, along with 1,000 megawatts of electricity.
“SOCAR might be a partner with us in this project. I hope we can normalize life in Syria,” Bayraktar said, according to a statement from the ministry.
Following the end of Syria’s civil war in December, Ankara emerged as one of the new Syrian government's main foreign allies and is positioning itself as a major player in the country’s reconstruction.
At an OPEC session titled “Oil Markets: Energy Security, Growth and Prosperity,” Bayraktar outlined Türkiye’s energy vision, emphasizing energy security and long-term targets.
“We have a very ambitious renewable energy program. We will increase our solar and wind capacity by four times in the next 10 years,” he said, noting the government aims to lift its renewable capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035.
Bayraktar also referenced the large natural gas reserve discovered in the Black Sea in 2020, saying 4 million households are currently supplied by the field. “We will double this next year. In 2028, we will extract enough gas for 16 million households from the Black Sea,” he said.
On the oil side, he said Türkiye has identified four blocks in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır for production using non-traditional methods, which could also be applied to natural gas extraction.
Within the scope of the Vienna program, Bayraktar held separate meetings with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Perviz Shahbazov, Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez, and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Hayyan Abdulgani.
