Erdogan announces more gas reserves find in Black Sea

The Turkish president on Saturday announced the discovery of an additional 85 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea, following a historic find this summer.

“As a result of testing, analysis and detailed engineering work, another 85 billion cubic meters were added to the reserves we had discovered,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after his inspections at the drill ship Fatih.

He said the discovery came at the depth of 4,445 meters (14,583 feet).

“Total amount of natural gas reserves in the TUNA-1 well of the Sakarya Gas Field reached 405 billion cubic meters," Erdogan said.

“The reserves we discovered in the Black Sea are the largest hydrocarbon resource of our country till today,” he added.

Erdogan said he is hopeful that Turkey’s external dependence on natural gas will considerably decrease with new discoveries.

The work in the TUNA-1 well was finalized after reaching the depth of 4,775 meters (15,666 feet) as planned, the president stated, adding that Turkey’s search for hydrocarbon resources in the Black Sea and Mediterranean will continue.

After maintenance and supplying, the Fatih will be on duty in another well, Turkali-1, in the Sakarya Gas Field next month, Erdogan said.

Submarine robot

“We have added the remote-controlled advanced technology submarine robot to our oil industry with domestic and national facilities,” he said, announcing “a new step”.

He said the robot, named Kasif (Explorer), will meet the electricity need at hundreds of meters depth and video footages will be obtained by remote control. 

Erdogan was accompanied by Vice President Fuat Oktay, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin during the inspections at the drill ship.

Erdogan’s announcement came closely on the heels of the historic natural gas find in August, also in the Black Sea.

Wednesday, speaking to the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party deputies, Erdogan said: “We will personally witness the efforts on site and announce the amount of the new reserves.”

The announcement this August of 320 billion cubic meters in Black Sea reserves by the drill ship Fatih made Turkey "very happy," and now more good news has come, he said.

Following this summer’s find, when the Fatih discovered the TUNA-1 well in the Sakarya Gas Field, around 170 kilometers (106 miles) off Turkey’s northern coast, Turkish officials had said more reserves might be found soon.

The discovery was the biggest in Turkey’s history. Officials said the gas from the well would be ready for public use in 2023.