Türkiye started natural gas production from a vast reserve discovered in the Black Sea, which promises to curb the country's external dependence and cut consumer energy prices.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan green signaled the first delivery to an onshore plant, which will begin with 10 million cubic meters of gas daily in the first phase.
"This is a historic milestone for Türkiye's path to energy independence," Erdoğan told the ceremony held in northern Zonguldak province broadcasted live on television.
Production will be increased to 40 million cubic meters of gas per day in the coming period, the president said, after other wells go into operation.
"When we reach full capacity, we will meet 30% of our country's gas needs" from the Black Sea reserves, he said.
In August 2020, the country discovered a reserve off the coast of Zonguldak, which Erdoğan hailed as a way to wean the country off its dependence on energy imports.
Erdoğan announced that the country's first drilling vessel Fatih had discovered 320 billion cubic meters of gas in the Tuna-1 well in the Sakarya gas field.
The discovery went down to history as the largest gas discovery ever in Türkiye's history, which thereafter only went on to be gradually revised upward.
In late December 2022, the reserve was eventually predicted to hold around 710 bcm of gas, the increase that Erdoğan said came mainly from the Sakarya field, where reserves are now seen at 652 bcm, and another 58 billion cubic meters found in an offshore field nearby.
