Türkiye’s search for oil is not a recent endeavor. From the first exploration activities in the 1930s to the establishment of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in 1954, drilling campaigns have been carried out across the country. Yet population growth, industrialization and economic expansion caused demand to rise faster than domestic production, making oil a major component of Türkiye’s energy import bill and current account deficit. Against this background, the National Energy and Mining Policy, introduced in 2017, sought to change this outlook by accelerating the exploration of domestic oil and natural gas resources. More intensive onshore programs were accompanied by stronger seismic survey and drilling capabilities at sea, with Gabar emerging as the policy’s most concrete onshore result.
From exploration to record production
Seismic surveys launched at Mount Gabar in Şırnak in 2020 produced promising findings and were followed by drilling. The process gained momentum after the first wells were brought online in 2021, with additional discoveries and production wells gradually expanding the field. According to the latest official figures, daily oil production in Gabar has reached a record 83,300 barrels, while cumulative crude oil output since 2021 has exceeded 50 million barrels.
The significance of this progress becomes clearer when compared with Türkiye’s production only a few years ago. The country’s total daily crude oil output stood at approximately 65,000 barrels in 2022. Today, Gabar alone produces more than that amount. The field therefore represents more than a single successful discovery; it reflects a broader transformation in Türkiye’s oil production capacity.
What does Gabar bring to Türkiye?
Considering Türkiye’s current consumption, Gabar cannot end the country’s dependence on oil imports by itself. Yet every barrel produced domestically replaces one that would otherwise be purchased from abroad. When production reached around 80,000 barrels per day, Gabar was estimated to generate approximately $2 billion in annual economic value. Higher domestic output consequently helps reduce the import bill, supports the current account and limits the pressure that global oil price fluctuations place on the economy. This contribution becomes even more strategic when conflicts in producing regions, sanctions, or disruptions along critical transport routes create uncertainty in international supplies. Although Gabar cannot make Türkiye independent of global prices, it can reduce the volume exposed to external supply risks and thereby strengthen the country’s energy security.
At the same time, the benefits are not confined to macroeconomic indicators. Operating in Gabar’s mountainous terrain required hundreds of kilometers of roads as well as production facilities and logistics infrastructure. The project has created more than 3,500 jobs, most of them in Şırnak. Demand for transportation, maintenance, technical services and qualified personnel has also generated new economic activity. Şırnak’s transformation from an area long associated with security challenges into Türkiye’s leading oil-producing province demonstrates the economic opportunities that improved security can unlock. Moreover, the knowledge accumulated through exploration, drilling and field development contributes to the growth of the national petroleum industry. Experience in difficult geological conditions, rapid field development and increasing output is valuable not only for Gabar but also for TPAO’s operations at home and abroad.
From Gabar to Diyarbakır
The success achieved in Gabar does not mean that Türkiye’s exploration story has reached its conclusion. Activities continue in Şırnak as well as Batman, Adıyaman, Hakkari, Van and Diyarbakır. Drilling carried out in 2025 resulted in the identification of 62 million barrels of new reserves. For 2026, Türkiye plans 282 onshore and 18 offshore drillings. These figures show that Gabar is part of a wider exploration and production strategy rather than an isolated project. Within this broader program, one of the most noteworthy projects in the next phase is the search for tight oil in Diyarbakır, where horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing will be used. It is important to emphasize that the multibillion-barrel figures cited for the region describe potential resources, not proven and commercially recoverable reserves. Results from the planned wells will determine whether this potential can be converted into viable production. Success would increase Türkiye’s oil output while providing important experience in unconventional production technologies.
Oil is unlikely to lose its importance in transport, aviation, industry and petrochemicals in the short term, even as Türkiye advances its transition toward a lower-carbon energy system. A rational strategy is therefore to continue investing in renewable energy, efficiency and electrification while meeting a greater share of the remaining oil demand through domestic resources. In this context, Gabar should not be presented as a discovery that will end Türkiye’s oil imports. Its importance lies in something more realistic and lasting: It strengthens the country’s ability to increase domestic production and reinforces confidence in further exploration. If these efforts continue with advanced technology, qualified human capital and sustained investment, the rise that began in Gabar could mark the beginning of a broader transformation in Türkiye’s petroleum industry.