Shale Oil Reserves in the Southeastern Region of the Republic of Türkiye Are Estimated at 6.1 Billion Barrels
Shale oil reserves in the southeastern Diyarbakir Basin of the Republic of Türkiye are estimated at 6.1 billion barrels, according to assessments by Continental Resources, a U.S.-based oil company. This was announced by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye, who noted that such a volume of resources could significantly reduce the country’s dependence on oil imports.
The annual crude oil import volume of Türkiye stands at approximately 365 million barrels.
“A reserve of 6.1 billion barrels is an excellent figure,” said Minister Alparslan Bayraktar during a recent visit to the southeastern provinces of Türkiye, as reported by Reuters.
In March of this year, Continental Resources signed a joint venture agreement with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to develop shale resources in the Diyarbakir region. Minister Bayraktar emphasized that the discovered reserves open up new prospects for the country’s energy independence. He previously described the partnership as a fundamentally new stage in the development of Türkiye’s national oil resources.
Special attention is also being given to plans for shale gas production in Thrace, a region in northwestern Türkiye. According to Bayraktar, the development of shale gas fields in Thrace could be a turning point for the nation’s energy sector. Continental Resources declined to comment operationally on this issue.
The emphasis on developing domestic energy resources is linked to the current state of Türkiye’s energy sector: the country imports more than 90 percent of its hydrocarbon consumption. The government aims to reduce foreign procurement costs and enhance national energy security through international partnerships and the development of indigenous fields.
Neftegaz i Kapital notes that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently announced the discovery of 75 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea shelf following offshore drilling operations. These developments are part of a comprehensive national strategy to diversify energy sources and reduce dependency on imports.
