Turkiye in talks to boost gas exploration in Bulgaria, numerous regions

Turkiye is in talks to boost exploration for oil and gas in Bulgaria, as well as a number of countries throughout its surrounding region including Iraq, Libya, Turkmenistan and Somalia.

According to Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who spoke to Bloomberg, the state-owned energy company Turkiye Petrolleri AO (TPAO) is set to sign an agreement with an unnamed foreign partner within the next month in order to conduct exploration missions in Bulgaria’s section of the Black Sea.

With Turkiye’s capacity to export gas via Bulgaria currently being around 3.5 billion cubic metres per year, Bayraktar stated that “what we need is an increase in the capacity of the interconnection between Turkey and Bulgaria.”

The minister added that TPAO is also actively seeking opportunities in other countries, stating that Ankara “will be much more active in oil and gas exploration abroad.”

He noted that the company is operating in northern and southern Iraq, and that it has recently signed offshore and onshore agreements in Somalia. With regards to the latter, the TPAO reportedly aims to conclude seismic surveys off Somalia’s coast by late May and to secure a drilling decision by the end of the year.

With Turkmenistan, too, Turkiye is expanding cooperation with the country after starting to import natural gas from it on 1 March, with Bayraktar confirming ongoing discussions to further explore Turkmenistan’s oil and gas fields.

READ: Turkiye to become major gas producer in Europe by 2050