Türkiye's first publicly-owned floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) has supplied 9.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to the national transmission system to date, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Wednesday.
The statement came as Ertuğrul Gazi, which began operations in late June 2021, completed its 100th ship-to-ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) transfer operation.
Bayraktar said the vessel has played a key role in strengthening Türkiye's gas supply security. "Our first national FSRU, Ertuğrul Gazi, has contributed 9.3 billion cubic meters to the natural gas transmission system," he added.
Investments in liquefied natural gas infrastructure have increased Türkiye's daily regasification capacity fivefold to 161 million cubic meters, according to the minister. "Ertuğrul Gazi has undertaken a critical role in this expansion," he said.
"Today, we are in a position to meet nearly half of our natural gas consumption through LNG," Bayraktar added, saying Türkiye aims to lift daily regasification capacity above 200 million cubic meters in the coming period.
He said the government's goal was to transform Türkiye from a country that merely meets its own energy demand into a regional gas hub capable of exporting natural gas to neighboring markets.
The Ertuğrul Gazi FSRU is 295 meters long, 46 meters wide and 63 meters high, with a storage capacity of 170,000 cubic meters of LNG, equivalent to around 110 million cubic meters of natural gas. The vessel has a daily regasification capacity of 28 million cubic meters.
Türkiye currently has five LNG entry points – two onshore LNG terminals and three FSRUs. The Marmaraereğlisi LNG terminal, along with the Dörtyol and Saros FSRUs, are operated by state gas importer BOTAŞ, while one LNG terminal and one FSRU in western Izmir's Aliağa district are run by the private sector.
