Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) signed a 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal with energy trader Mercuria in New York, part of efforts to bolster energy security and diversify sources, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Wednesday.
BOTAS General Manager Abdulvahit Fidan and Mercuria President Daniel Jaeggi signed the contract, which spans from 2026 to 2045 and covers approximately 70 billion cubic meters of LNG, or roughly 4 billion cubic meters per year, according to a statement from the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
Deliveries, mainly in the winter, will begin in 2026 from US loading ports and could be shipped to regasification terminals in Türkiye, Europe, and North Africa, it added.
"Today we signed an agreement to supply about 70 billion cubic meters of natural gas equivalent from US sources over the next 20 years," Bayraktar said.
He added that the deal would strengthen BOTAS's role in global LNG markets and contribute to the goal of raising US-Türkiye trade volume to $100 billion.
BOTAS also signed a preliminary long-term LNG agreement with Australia's Woodside at the Turkevi Center in New York City. Under the plan, BOTAS would receive about 5.8 billion cubic meters of LNG over nine years beginning in 2030, largely from the Louisiana LNG Project.
"We are witnessing the signing of an agreement between BOTAS and Woodside that establishes an intercontinental link," Bayraktar said. "We believe this will mark the beginning of a successful partnership between BOTAS and Woodside."
He added that the companies expressed plans to expand cooperation beyond LNG sales and pursue broader strategic ties in the region. "We strongly support this vision," he said.
Separately, the natural gas trade will be on the agenda during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House, Bayraktar said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
By Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
