Minister Albayrak: ‘We have reached 42,500 barrels, in June we will achieve our interim target of 50,000 barrels’

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, as part of the celebrations of the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on May 19, visited the petroleum and natural gas engineering faculties of various universities in Turkey where students are receiving education, and inspected the Şehit Esma Çevik petroleum production field. Minister Albayrak stated, ‘Today we have reached 42,500 barrels. Hopefully, by June, we will have achieved our interim target of 50,000 barrels.’ Minister Albayrak made statements to the press at Gabar Mountain together with petroleum and natural gas engineering students. Minister Albayrak emphasized the significance of the day, mentioning the young petroleum and natural gas engineering candidates around him. He said, ‘As we came here, we said let our youth be here, and I hope that these brothers will be with us when they graduate, maybe in new discoveries we will make in these fields.’ Minister Albayrak added, ‘We wanted to show them how accurate their chosen profession is, how great an opportunity lies ahead for Turkey, and the huge potential. Therefore, our visit to Gabar is taking place with them.’
Stating the goal of reaching 100,000 barrels by the end of 2024, Minister Albayrak mentioned that they have reached 42,500 barrels today. He said, ‘Hopefully, by June, we will have achieved our interim target of 50,000 barrels. We have a total of 14 regions of various sizes in this area. We are currently producing in 4 of them. We aim to increase this production from here, but seismic studies are ongoing in the other 10 regions, and we have drilling targets. Therefore, looking at it all, the Gabar region will truly become a game changer for Turkey in overcoming its bad luck in oil. In addition, our work in the Kör Kandil region will start searching very soon. A massive operation is underway here. Road works extend to about 350 kilometers and will reach up to 600 kilometers. Therefore, while building roads on one side, we are bringing our machines, wells, and towers here, and with these efforts, we aim to reach 100,000 barrels by the end of 2024. When we achieve this, we will have made a significant contribution to our country’s economy. But we still have a long way to go.’
Minister Bayraktar mentioned that 2,750 people are working in the area, and this number will increase further, contributing significantly to the region’s employment. He said, ‘Turkey really needs large quantities. We need 1 million barrels as crude oil. Therefore, as our production numbers increase, we will continue to implement different projects. But let me tell you, the numbers are growing significantly. Because we are now transporting this oil with 225 tankers. Now we definitely need a pipeline. With a 37-kilometer pipeline, we transport the oil from here to İdil. From there, we will take it to Dörtyol and Ceyhan through the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline. As we reach our goals step by step, there will certainly be projects and alternatives ahead.’
Referring to the discovery in the Black Sea, Minister Bayraktar stated, ‘Currently, we are intensively working on its production. Our ships, equipment, and team are focused on that. We aim to increase production there. But intermittently, in the 15-20 day gaps of these ships, we have put a gap to work in new exploration wells. On May 23, we will drill the Göktepe-2 well in this regard. We have expectations for gas from there. But in our next exploratory well, we will drill a well targeting oil in the Western Black Sea. However, these are still exploration wells. It would not be right to say anything before the drilling is completed.’ Fatma Çetinkaya, a student from the Faculty of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at Izmir Katip Çelebi University, expressed that with the increased security measures on Gabar Mountain, once associated with terrorism, it has become Turkey’s largest petroleum production center. Çetinkaya said, ‘I am very excited and happy to be here right now. These areas may have been previously associated with terrorist incidents, but we know that security measures have increased and that very valuable oil reserves are here. We are very excited, there is a great team. They have more hope in us than we do. This gives us courage, determination. To work and be beneficial to our country. I am very happy to be here. I believe that with the support of my team, I can do my best in my profession in the future.’