On Friday, Turkey launched another energy project that will contribute to the stability of the country's energy supply. Lake Tuz Underground Gas Storage Facility, located in south central Anatolia, was opened at a grand ceremony with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak. The portion of gas required to remain in the cavern to maintain its integrity, at the Lake Tuz Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility was also compressed. The underground natural gas facility is the country's latest liquefied natural gas (LNG) investment, which Turkey considers an important channel for its energy supply security.The underground facility consists of 12 artificial caverns located 1,400 meters (4,593 feet) below the lake. Each cavern operates with a capacity of 630,000 to 750,000 cubic meters of gas. The facility will provide Turkey with 44 million cubic meters of gas on a daily basis. The cost of project has been reported to be $700 million.After the signing ceremony of a $400-million loan issued by the World Bank for the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) to Turkey's state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ), on Wednesday Cyril Muller , vice president of World Bank's Europe and Central Asia region, announced that the bank will continue to provide support for Turkey's energy supply security projects."In this context, we expect to be one of the financiers in increasing the capacity of the Natural Gas Storage Facility at Lake Tuz in south central Anatolia which is estimated to supply 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas every year. We plan to approve an important financing for the said project within the year," said Muller, highlighting the World Bank's determination to contribute to the energy supply security both in Turkey and the region.Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) following the signing ceremony of an agreement for a $400-million loan issued by the World Bank to BOTAŞ for TANAP, Muller said that in addition to ensuring energy security and resource diversity for the World Bank, TANAP has also contributed to the improvement of social life and employment in the regions it passes through, adding that extensive studies are underway on the social effects of the project.Muller added that "By meeting the government and project sponsors, we will ensure that other financiers are attracted, because the terms are easier once World Bank's standards are applied." He also noted that this year they will support energy efficiency applications in Turkish public buildings, adding that a series of studies are being conducted and that pilot projects will be launched at various public institutions, such as schools and administrative buildings.World Bank had financed $325 million with an agreement signed in 2006 and another $400 million with another agreement signed in 2014.