Türkiye has become key energy hub, actor for peace: Erdogan

• Türkiye to raise daily LNG gasification capacity to 200M cubic meters from current 161M

Türkiye has emerged as both a reliable energy transit partner and a key actor for peace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

“Türkiye is the strongest bridge, transit and junction point between geographies with rich energy resources and countries that need them,” Erdogan said at the Istanbul National Resources Summit.

He said Türkiye’s importance in secure energy supply had once again become clear amid rising regional tensions and supply concerns.

Erdogan said the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, floating storage and regasification units, storage investments and pipeline infrastructure had made Türkiye one of Europe’s strongest energy hubs.

“With new investments, we will raise our daily LNG gasification capacity to 200 million cubic meters from the current 161 million cubic meters,” he added.

Türkiye’s role in supply security

Erdogan said Türkiye’s energy infrastructure has strengthened its role in regional stability, adding that Ankara is determined to advance energy diplomacy alongside its broader peace efforts.

Türkiye’s strategic position between energy-producing regions and major consumer markets has made it a key transit route amid heightened global energy security concerns.

Erdogan said Türkiye will continue developing its energy infrastructure while expanding domestic production and overseas exploration activities.

Daily production at the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea has reached 9.5 million cubic meters, Erdogan said.

With the commissioning of a second floating production platform in 2028, output in the field’s third phase will rise to 45 million cubic meters per day, he said, adding that domestic gas would reach 16 million to 17 million households.

Erdogan added that Türkiye views energy self-sufficiency as a strategic priority, with domestic gas production playing a central role in reducing external dependency.

Oil, mining, overseas exploration

Output from the Gabar oil field in southeastern Türkiye is making a major contribution to the country’s energy supply security, Erdogan said.

He said four new fields had been identified in Diyarbakir province following the discovery in Gabar, adding that Türkiye plans to carry out work at 24 wells over the next three years.

Erdogan said Türkiye’s exploration activities off Somalia were of historic importance as the country’s first overseas deep-sea drilling operation.

He added that Türkiye was also continuing joint work with Syria’s new government in mining and oil.

“We are determined to bring our country together with much greater achievements in energy, mining and natural resources,” Erdogan said.

“Full independence in energy, as in the defense industry, is our country’s ‘red apple,’” he added, referring to Türkiye’s long-term national ideal