OMM Newsroom
Turkey will buy diesel from Russia under a US-backed deal, AnewZ reported. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Sunday that Ankara was pressing ahead with plans to increase domestic gas production and reduce its reliance on imported energy.
In a televised interview, Bayraktar said that following talks on an agreement between Washington and Moscow, Turkey had secured the opportunity to obtain some Russian diesel intended for global markets.
“As a result of the talks, we will bring some of that diesel to Turkey,” Bayraktar said.
He did not provide details on the supply volume, delivery schedule or financial terms.
The deal has drawn criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European officials and some US Republican lawmakers, amid concerns that it could provide Russia with additional energy revenues.
Turkey, a NATO member, maintains economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow and remains heavily dependent on imports, particularly from Russia, to meet its energy needs. Ankara is seeking to diversify its energy sources through agreements with the United States and other partners while expanding domestic production.
Gas production in the Black Sea to increase
Bayraktar also discussed plans to expand natural gas production at the Sakarya field in the Black Sea, about 170 kilometers off the northern coast of Zonguldak province.
On Saturday, Turkey sent its first floating gas production platform, Osman Gazi, to the field. The platform is expected to raise daily production from 9.5 million cubic meters to 20 million cubic meters.
A second, larger platform is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2028 and add another 25 million cubic meters of gas to daily production.
Bayraktar said the two platforms together would bring daily output to 45 million cubic meters, enough to meet the gas needs of three-quarters of households in Turkey.
The Sakarya field was discovered in 2020, and domestic supplies of gas produced in the Black Sea began in 2023. This marked an important step in Turkey’s efforts to reduce its dependence on imports.
However, Turkey consumed about 59 billion cubic meters of natural gas last year, while domestic production amounted to just 3.1 billion cubic meters.
Exploration off Pakistan postponed
Bayraktar said planned hydrocarbon exploration off the coast of Pakistan had been postponed for several months because of the ongoing regional conflict. He said the situation illustrated the challenges that geopolitical tensions pose to Ankara’s broader energy plans.
