Fatih Dönmez: Turkey will involve foreign companies to gas sector

Turkey is exploring and analyzing options for leasing or acquiring a new drilling vessel as activities intensify in the Mediterranean and the Black seas, Report informs, citing the nation's energy and natural resources minister Fatih Dönmez.

After the country's most significant natural gas discovery made recently in the Black Sea, Dönmez signaled that good news might also come from a borehole in the Eastern Mediterranean after additional seismic and drilling works:

"We planned that two to three drillships would be enough until the first discovery. But we will have intensive drilling work after the first find. One of our vessels is in the Mediterranean. We have two ships in the Black Sea. We have said we may go in the direction of buying or leasing a third ship. Our friends are working (on the subject). We will prefer what is more economical for us."

Turkey currently has three drillships in its fleet operating in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Yavuz operates in the Eastern Mediterranean, while Fatih has been carrying out activities in the Black Sea.

According to the minister, the third drillship, Kanuni, which joined the fleet earlier this year, is currently located off Istanbul and will soon depart for the coastal town of Filyos before joining Fatih in January of next year.

Fatih recently discovered 405 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas at the Tuna-1 location in the Sakarya gas field, located about 100 nautical miles north of the Turkish Black Sea coast.

It will set sail to a new location in the Black Sea to start further explorations in early November, Dönmez said. It will kick-start its recent activities in the Türkali-1 borehole in the Sakarya gas field.

"We plan to open between 30 and 40 wells there. That means we are talking about a seven- to an eight-year business plan. But we will make the first production in 2023. If we complete eight to ten wells by 2023, it means we will start production," the minister said.

On the one hand, while maintaining production, Turkey looks to continue developing the field with new production wells: "We plan to finish all the work there by 2028. These all are about the current field."

Turkey expects the first gas flow from the field in 2023, with an envisaged annual gas flow of between 5-10 bcm. The area is expected to reach plateau production of around 15 bcm as of 2025.

Dönmez earlier noted Turkey would operate the gas field on its own, but it may cooperate with foreign firms in detailed work and equipment. The country will kick-start seismic works in November and has a five-to-six-month seismic program for the Sakarya gas field, the minister noted. He said exploratory drilling would be made in the event of promising seismic data.

"These are the neighboring fields of the field where we made this first existing discovery. Project geologists say these sites are similar and that they are hopeful," Dönmez emphasized, adding that further details will be known after the completion of seismic studies and drillings.