"Turkey has made the largest natural gas discovery in its history in the Black Sea," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday (August 21st), adding that exploitation would begin in 2023.

"This deposit is part of a much larger tablecloth. God willing, there will be more. As a country that has been dependent for years on the outside for gas, we now see the future more calmly," added the Head of State, whose ambition is for the country to eventually become a net energy exporter.

Turkish drillship Fatih began prospecting late last month in the Tuna-1 area, some 100 nautical miles north of the Turkish coast in the western Black Sea.

The deposit was discovered in water 2,100 meters deep and it was necessary to drill 1,400 meters under the seabed, said the Minister of Energy, Fatih Donmez.

"Our operations are not finished. We will descend another 1,000 meters (...) and the data shows that it is likely that we will find gas there too," he added.

Tensions in the Mediterranean

The Turkish head of state considered that this discovery was of "historical importance for the future" of Turkey, which depends almost exclusively on imports to satisfy its growing energy appetite.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also affirmed that Turkey would accelerate its search for hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming months, ignoring the European Union's calls for de-escalation in a context of growing tensions.

The discovery of large gas fields in this area in recent years has aroused the appetite of the riparian countries.

Feeling excluded from sharing, Ankara has stepped up unilateral drilling.

With Reuters and AFP

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