Eco
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar emphasized on Friday that diversification and interconnection of grids represent two essential elements for solving the challenges facing the global energy sector.
This came in a speech delivered by Bayraktar during a ministerial session titled "Energy Security in a Changing Global Landscape: Interconnection and Cooperation" within the activities of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, in its second edition hosted by his ministry.
He pointed out that securing energy supplies has become more difficult and complex, noting the interruption of supply chains resulting from crises that began with the Corona pandemic and continued due to conflicts in different regions of the world.
He explained that uncertainties create serious problems related to energy security, saying: "We are fighting all these challenges in the heart of a major tectonic shift in the global energy landscape."
Bayraktar presented proposals to alleviate the energy crisis in the region, saying: "We must exploit our entire current infrastructure for interconnection purposes. We have the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which is a wonderful project, and possesses a spare capacity of 400,000 barrels per day. Today we can raise it from 600,000 to one million barrels."
He called for utilizing the unexploited capacities in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline "TANAP", saying: "First, the full use of the existing infrastructure, and second, expanding this infrastructure or establishing a new infrastructure for electricity, gas, and oil."
He continued: "We must transport natural gas coming from Turkmenistan through a trans-Caspian pipeline to Azerbaijan, and from there to European markets via Turkey."
Bayraktar touched upon in his speech Ankara's proposal to extend the Iraq-Turkey crude oil pipeline, which connects Basra to the port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean, and is capable of transporting at least 1.5 million barrels per day.
He questioned: "If a disruption occurs in the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, what is the alternative for exports of Iraq and other countries? Therefore, we proposed these alternatives and diversification projects. We can easily extend this line to Basra and increase its capacity."
Minister Bayraktar stressed the necessity of increasing electricity and gas interconnection capacities between Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey.
He added: "We are currently working with the Saudi government to establish a huge interconnection between the Kingdom and Turkey through Jordan and Syria. We are also holding talks with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria regarding three interconnection projects. Consequently, Turkey is ready and willing to take steps and initiatives to implement all these projects."
He concluded by saying: "The most important element here is strong leadership, political will, and assertiveness. Without that, we would not have been able to implement the Southern Gas Corridor project and other projects. Therefore, Turkey views energy as a tool for peace, prosperity, and stability in the region."
