Exploration operations in Turkey's northwest Thrace region are promising for the exploration and production of shale gas, Besim Sisman, the general manager of Turkish Petroleum, said Tuesday.
'We are conducting our operations to explore shale gas rapidly all around the country. But the operations to explore shale gas are very promising in the Thrace region,' Sisman told Anadolu Agency.
'In the next few days, there will be shale gas exploration in three wells in the region,' he added.
Noting that shale gas potential is high in Thrace region, Sisman underlined their aim to reach concrete evidence with their operations.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S., Canada, China and Argentina are the only four countries in the world that produce commercially-viable shale oil and gas.
Although shale gas and tight oil resources in Turkey are largely unknown, with new unconventional techniques, such as 3D seismic exploration and hydraulic fracturing, it is possible to produce oil and gas from source rocks in shale formations.
- Oil and gas operations in Turkey
Sisman said Turkish Petroleum's oil and natural gas exploration and production projects are ongoing both in onshore and offshore territories, such as the Black Sea in Turkey's north. He added that the Thrace region is very important for drilling operations and it is where the company conducts offshore operations from.
'Meanwhile, we are also planning to increase the capacity of our natural gas storage facilities in Silivri, from 2.6 to 4.3 billion cubic meters, and raise our backward production there from 20 to 75 million cubic meters a day,' Sisman indicated.
Reporting by Ugur Pirpor
Writing by Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr