Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez made evaluations about Turkey’s recent activities in the field of energy at home and abroad in a television program he attended.
Dönmez stated that 62 percent of the electricity produced last year was obtained from domestic and renewable resources, and this amount reached 66 percent in the first 5 months of this year.
Fracturing method is applied in Diyarbakır
Stating that they have used new technologies in recent years to extract gas or oil stuck in the rocks, Dönmez said, “There is oil in the southeast, but we are talking about heavy and stuck oil. Diyarbakır, Adıyaman, Batman… These are the fields where we have been exploring and producing for years. Compared to the Gulf countries, the relative cost in our fields We’re talking higher operations.” he said.
Dönmez stated that they started to apply the fracturing method, which is one of the new methods in oil exploration, and said, “By cracking the oil or gas trapped underground with high pressure water, you loosen it and ensure its production more easily. Thus, you increase the production obtained from there. This was most recently in Diyarbakır.” “We tried the method and achieved success. Production has also started with this method. Compared to other classical wells, production here can be 5-10 times higher. We are also trying it in Thrace. We will try it in the gas fields there as well.” he said.
Expressing that they are hopeful about the work carried out in the Black Sea, Dönmez said:
“We will carry out this operation with the first national drilling ship Fatih. It is in the location we call Tuna-1 off the coast of Zonguldak. Fatih’s tower erection operations in Trabzon Port have been completed and it has left the port. We will start the first operation there in the first half of July. Experts are available from the field “They say that the seismic data obtained is promising. There have been some discoveries in areas close to us, for example in Romania in the Black Sea. This type of seismic research continues in Bulgaria. There are some studies on the Ukrainian side.”
The priority is the welfare of the Libyan people
Dönmez emphasized that the oil and natural resources in Libya should be used primarily for the welfare and development of the people there.
Stating that Turkey’s oil exploration activities in Libya will continue, Dönmez said:
“We plan to carry out our work there together with the Libyan national oil company. It has progressed this way in the past. In the meantime, there may be international oil companies with which we can act together. Time will tell. The oil and natural resources there are for the welfare and development of the Libyan people. There is a win-win formula there.” “We are planning to partner in the fields as before. There is also a warm approach from them.”
Gold production target this year is 45 tons
Minister Dönmez stated that Turkey’s gold production before 2002 was very low.
Reminding that gold exploration licenses were opened to public and private companies in the early 2000s, Dönmez said, “Since 2001 and 2002, we have produced 33 tons of gold over the years. In 2019, we produced 38 tons. Our 2020 target is 45 tons of gold production.” he said.
