ISTANBUL, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country's oil production surpassed 135,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of March, and that more efforts are being made to build Türkiye into a global leader in natural gas exploration.
Speaking at the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, Erdogan pointed out that this year's oil production has reached a record high, noting that Türkiye's oil production in 2024 was approximately 126,000 bpd.
Erdogan attributed the rise in oil production primarily to the substantial output from the Gabar region of southern Sirnak province.
Oil was discovered in Gabar in 2021 following drilling operations by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation.
To date, over 26 million barrels of oil have been produced in the region, with a total value approaching 2 billion U.S. dollars, Erdogan revealed.
He added that the country also targets growth in the natural gas sector, vowing to transform Türkiye into a global player in natural gas exploration.
The president said that Türkiye's first natural gas floating production platform will begin operations next year in the Sakarya gas field.
"In the Sakarya gas field, we aim for a daily production of approximately 20 million cubic meters from Phase 1 and Phase 2 by 2026," he stated, setting a goal of 40 million cubic meters per day by 2028.
Discovered in 2020, the Sakarya gas field, located in the Black Sea off the coast of the northern Zonguldak province, is one of Türkiye's most significant natural gas discoveries in recent years.
