Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) signed two 10-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreements with German state-owned company SEFE and Italy's ENI on Wednesday.
The contracts, signed on the sidelines of the World LNG Summit in Istanbul, are set to begin in 2028 and cover a combined 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas equivalent — 6 billion cubic meters from SEFE and 5 billion cubic meters from ENI.
The deliveries are limited to winter months.
Speaking to reporters after the signing ceremony, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan said the SEFE and ENI deals add to long-term LNG contracts totaling 106 bcm in 2025 and 155 bcm starting in September 2024.
He said adding LNG alongside pipeline gas has helped diversify supplies and secure more competitive pricing.
Earlier in the day, at the opening ceremony of the summit, Bayraktar called on European countries to use Türkiye's LNG infrastructure, inviting them to bring LNG cargoes to the country and store them in its facilities.
"We have created a great alternative for European countries to buy LNG through our regasification terminals," Bayraktar said.
"We can give long-term or short-term commitments to suppliers, traders, or European buyers that can have access to our infrastructure to bring their LNG cargoes," he added.
The Turkish minister said Türkiye already supplies gas to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Greece via pipelines, while North Macedonia and Serbia receive LNG through truck deliveries.
LNG brought into Türkiye can be stored and redirected to areas where gas is needed, he said.
"We, as Türkiye have a balanced, diversified, and forward-looking energy policy," he said. "A vision I call the 'Turkish Path.' This strategic approach makes Türkiye a reliable partner in the region and global energy landscape."
"Türkiye is committed to becoming a regional gas center, integrating physical infrastructure with transparent and liquid gas exchange," he said.
- Gas regasification capacity up to 161 mcm per day
Bayraktar said Türkiye had anticipated rising LNG supply, particularly from North America, as early as 2016 and adjusted its policies accordingly.
"We developed our strategy in accordance with this projection. We decided to increase our regasification capacity," Bayraktar said. "Within a very short period of time, we increased this capacity fivefold to 161 mcm per day, which enabled us to capture opportunities in the global energy market."
"We also started to make long-term contracts with major LNG suppliers," the Turkish minister explained. "Only in one year, within 2025, the contracts we've signed reached a total of 106 bcm of LNG, including the contracts that we are going to sign today in this event."
LNG now makes up a significant share of Türkiye's gas imports, Bayraktar said, adding that the country has become a gas exporter thanks to a diversified supply portfolio and rising domestic production.
"BOTAS buys gas from 22 different countries and 33 different companies. Excess gas goes to neighboring markets or neighboring gas networks," he added.
"This year not only have we signed major LNG deals, long-term deals, but also very first time we brought gas from Turkmenistan," he said. "We added two new interconnection points to our grid. Igdir-Nakhchivan and Kilis-Syria interconnections."
By Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr