Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar outlines push for energy independence and overseas oil exploration

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told an audience at the Ankaralılar Association’s 41st Award Night that Turkey must turn its export base into a higher‑value sector and cut the roughly $100 billion annual energy‑import bill. He noted that Turkey’s exports already exceed $270 billion and that Ankara is a hub for defence and software industries.

Bayraktar said the country is expanding domestic production: recent gas finds in the Black Sea now meet the needs of four million households, and output is expected to double this year and quadruple by 2028. He announced that Turkey is extracting oil in the Gabar field – described as the nation’s largest historical reserve – and is preparing offshore drilling in Somalia, making Turkey “a country that searches for petroleum and natural gas beyond its own waters.”

Investments in renewable energy total about $6 billion, covering more than 8 GW of capacity launched in the past year, and the long‑awaited Akkuyu nuclear plant is set to become operational, further diversifying the energy mix. Bayraktar framed energy self‑sufficiency as essential to national security and the “Turkey Century” vision.