Turkey boosts Black Sea gas reserves with new find

Turkey has increased its reserves estimate for its recent Sakarya gas discovery in the Black Sea after exploration work by state-owned TPAO revealed a new gas find.

An additional 85bn m³ has been added to discovered reserves following "testing, analysis and detailed engineering work", Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said. This lifts aggregate gas reserves in the Tuna-1 well of the Sakarya field to 405bn m³.

The offshore field was discovered in August and was hailed by Erdogan at the time as "the biggest discovery of Turkey's history".

The government is aiming for the field to supply its first gas in 2023. "These discoveries, which I believe will continue, will significantly decrease our country's external dependence on natural gas," Erdogan said. This will also mean "cheaper" gas supplies to Turkey, he said. "The high quality of the gas indicates that the operating costs will be at a minimum level," he added.

Sakarya field will be "the first game changer and hopefully be followed by other discoveries in [the] eastern Black Sea and Mediterranean", TPAO chairman and chief executive Melih Han Bilgin said.

TPAO plans to drill two appraisal wells at the field using the Fatih drillship, while well tests will be carried out by a second drillship, Kanuni. Drilling will continue in the Turk Ali-1 well in the Sakarya field, Erdogan said.

Turkish energy minister Fatih Donmez said late last month that domestic gas prices could fall once a recently discovered field in the Black Sea is commissioned.

By Eleni Charisi and Adal Mirza