After the Gas We Produce and Turkmen Gas, We’ll Be Buying the Cheapest Gas

Bayraktar reminded that electricity consumers exceeding 5,000 kWh annually have been removed from the support group and said that a similar arrangement is being planned for natural gas. He stated that natural gas consumption will be evaluated on a monthly and city-based average.

Bayraktar also announced that new exploration activities in the Black Sea will begin with a new drilling ship expected by the end of the year.

Minister Bayraktar Answers Questions on CNN TÜRK

“The Meeting Was Very Productive”

Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, Bayraktar said it was held in a sincere and constructive atmosphere, adding: “The meeting was very productive.” He noted that all issues between the two countries were discussed during the meeting.

Dialogue with U.S. President Trump

Bayraktar pointed out the goal to increase trade volume between Türkiye and the U.S. to $100 billion, noting that the energy agenda with the U.S. centers on oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy. He added that Trump said to him: “If there’s anything you want me to do on this matter, let’s do it right away.”

5-Fold Increase in Gasification Capacity

Bayraktar emphasized Türkiye’s strategy to ensure supply security through diversification and recalled Türkiye’s prediction in 2016 about a global LNG surplus.“Back then, our daily gasification capacity was 30 million cubic meters. Today, we’ve increased this to 161 million cubic meters — a five-fold increase.”

“Claims of Buying Gas at $600 Are Completely False”

Bayraktar said Türkiye signed agreements to purchase a total of 143 billion cubic meters of U.S. LNG, worth $43 billion.

“They’re saying we buy gas for $600. Divide $43 billion by 143. What do you get?
Those claiming $600 should do the math and explain it to the public.It’s completely false — based on hearsay and incomplete information.”

“Gas Price Is Around One-Fourth in the U.S.”

Bayraktar explained that natural gas has four global pricing points:

• Japan-Korea Market (JKM): $413 per 1,000 m³ (early October)
• TTF (Europe): $404
• UK-based price: $391
• U.S. Henry Hub: $103

“So the U.S. price is roughly one-quarter of the others.”

He reiterated: “After 2027, Türkiye will receive the cheapest gas after our own production and Turkmen gas.”

“We Must Buy Gas from Anywhere We Can”

With winter approaching, Bayraktar emphasized the need to source gas from Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and elsewhere.

“We are striving to increase production of Black Sea gas,” he said.
Regarding the Blue Stream Pipeline, he stated that BOTAŞ is in negotiations.

New Explorations in the Black Sea

Bayraktar said natural gas production in the Black Sea will quadruple by 2028, reaching 15–16 billion cubic meters annually.

He also noted that two days ago, a new drilling ship arrived in the Mediterranean, and with the arrival of another ship by year-end, new drilling operations will begin in the Black Sea.

“We Are Not Buying LNG from Egypt”

Responding to claims that Türkiye would buy natural gas from Egypt instead of the U.S., Bayraktar said Egypt is currently not selling LNG to Türkiye.

He explained that under a 3-year agreement, Türkiye rents out FSRU ships (floating LNG terminals) to Egypt for five months each year.

“We are now starting to use FSRUs for export purposes. This is the case for Egypt right now, and we’re discussing a similar project with Morocco.”

First Electricity from Akkuyu in 2026

Bayraktar outlined Türkiye’s nuclear energy goals: “We aim to build three major plants in Akkuyu, Sinop, and Thrace, and also plan to develop small modular reactors (SMRs).”“We’re working with Russia in Akkuyu, and we plan to produce electricity from the first reactor in 2026.”

Nuclear Agreement with the U.S.

On the Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S., Bayraktar said: “It’s impossible for us to ignore a country like the U.S., which has 94 reactors and has been a pioneer in this technology.”
“We want to cooperate with the U.S. in both large and small modular reactors.”

He added that commercial discussions with U.S. nuclear companies on SMRs are ongoing and will continue with greater intensity.

Talks for New Nuclear Plants

Bayraktar mentioned talks on the planned nuclear plants in Sinop and Thrace: President Erdoğan met with the Canadian Prime Minister, and Canada expressed interest. He also met with French President Macron, who showed similar interest “There are about 5–6 countries in the world capable of building such large-scale plants: France, Canada, the U.S., China, and Russia. We’ve been in talks with China. The U.S. and South Korea are now a joint option as well.”

Iraq-Turkey Crude Oil Pipeline

Bayraktar stated that Türkiye wants the Iraq-Türkiye Crude Oil Pipeline to operate at full capacity and that a new agreement proposal has been sent to the Iraqi side. “We’ve invested billions of dollars. We want the new transportation fees to meet our expectations,” he said.

“Türkiye Did Nothing Illegal”

Regarding the ongoing legal dispute with Iraq, Bayraktar said: “Türkiye has done nothing wrong or illegal here.”

He explained that the case is still in the enforcement phase and added:“We’ve shown that Türkiye is owed payments from previous years, and the court has largely accepted our claims. We hope to resolve this amicably with Iraq, that’s what we propose as good neighbors.”

Electricity and Natural Gas Prices

Bayraktar said that prices are determined based on expected inflation: “Any price adjustments in 2026 will be in line with inflation expectations — both for electricity and natural gas.”

New Support Model for Natural Gas

Referring again to the change in electricity support for high-consuming users, Bayraktar said they plan a similar model for gas.

“We will assess monthly and city-based consumption averages.”

“Currently, 16% of subscribers consume over 50% more than the average. These people make up only 16% of users but consume 40% of the gas. So if we make a regulation, it won’t affect 84% of the population at all.”

Around 600 Billion Lira in Support

Bayraktar said the total government support for electricity and gas in 2025 will be ₺593 billion, or roughly ₺800–850 billion including financing costs.