Ankara, 25 September (Argus) — Turkey will offer to transfer an additional 4bn m³/yr of natural gas imports to non-state controlled companies at the start of next year, as it pushes to reduce the influence of state-owned Botas on the market.

The talks on transfer of the additional amounts will follow the proposed takeover by private-sector companies of the handling of 6bn m³/yr of imports from Russian firm Gazprom. A decision on the transfer of these imports is due to be decided this year after Botas did not renew its contract for the 6bn m³/yr, Turkish energy minister Taner Yildiz said today. Yildiz did not specify a method for the new transfer, or say which contract would be involved.

Turkey is trying to reduce the role of Botas in gas imports to avoid losses that have to be made up from the state budget and to encourage the development of a liberalised gas market.

Four of 13 companies that applied to take over the 6bn m³/yr import contracts have signed sales agreements with Gazprom, the head of Turkey's energy market regulator EPDK, Hasan Koktas, said. Turkish firm Akfel has agreed to buy 2.25bn m³/yr, Bosphorus Gaz 1.75bn m³/yr, Bati Hatti Dogalgaz 1bn m³/yr, and Kibar Enerji 1bn m³/yr, Koktas said. Applicants without agreements with Gazprom have been rejected, he said.

The transfer of these contracts to the private sector would mean that 10bn m³/yr of the 14bn m³/yr of Russian gas that is exported to western Turkey through the pipeline into Thrace has been allocated away from Botas.

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