Türkiye's state oil and natural gas pipeline operator BOTAŞ plans to significantly expand its crude oil storage capacity to 45 million barrels through a multiphase investment centered in the southern energy hub of Ceyhan, according to a senior executive.

BOTAŞ General Manager Abdülvahit Fidan said the planned crude oil tank farm project will more than quadruple the company's current storage capacity of 11.1 million barrels by 2031, the Türkiye newspaper reported.

The project will be implemented in stages, with construction of the first six storage tanks set to begin this year and expected to come online in 2028. Full completion is targeted for 2030-2031.

Ceyhan, designated as a specialized energy zone, is a key node in regional oil flows, serving as the terminal for major pipelines including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline.

The area has also attracted private-sector petrochemical investments.

The planned capacity increase comes as countries seek to bolster energy security amid heightened volatility in global oil markets.

The paper cited Fidan as saying at an energy conference on Saturday that the tank farm project will increase Türkiye's ⁠resilience to energy crises, enabling it to play a more decisive role in regional energy markets.

"This multiyear plan will not only increase Türkiye's energy storage capacity ⁠but will also create a critical buffer mechanism against supply shocks," Fidan said.