Natural gas plays a critical role in Türkiye’s energy transition as a bridge fuel, contributing both to the country’s 2053 net-zero emissions target and energy supply security, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Monday.
Bayraktar spoke at the opening ceremony of the 850-megawatt ENKA Natural Gas Combined-Cycle Power Plant in Kirklareli, in northwestern Türkiye.
He said that natural gas remains a key component of Türkiye’s power generation mix. “Out of our total installed capacity exceeding 125,000 megawatts, around 25,000 megawatts—roughly one-fifth—consists of natural gas plants.”
In 2025, natural gas plants generated 83 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 23% of Türkiye’s total power production, he noted.
Under the National Energy Plan, Türkiye aims to add 10,000 megawatts of additional natural gas capacity by 2035 in order to meet rising electricity demand and balance the intermittency of renewable energy sources, the minister added.
Bayraktar described the newly inaugurated facility as a concrete reflection of this strategy, stressing its importance not only for Kirklareli but also for the wider Marmara region, which he called the country’s industrial heartland and highest electricity-consuming area.
“With an annual generation capacity of approximately 7 billion kilowatt-hours, this plant will significantly strengthen supply security across a wide geography, particularly Thrace and Istanbul,” he said, adding that the facility will also support a more flexible and balanced electricity transmission system.
Highlighting the plant’s technological features, Bayraktar said it operates with an efficiency rate above 63%, which will reduce both fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
“When operating at full capacity, it will be able to meet the electricity needs of around 2.5 million households,” he said.
– Daily output at 22 million cubic meters
Bayraktar also noted that the country ranks fourth in Europe in gas consumption, using around 60 billion cubic meters annually, with 20–25% of it used for power generation.
He said Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) supplies natural gas from across six continents through pipelines or LNG shipments, while domestic production—including output from the Sakarya Gas Field—stands at around 22 million cubic meters per day.
Türkiye’s LNG regasification capacity has increased nearly fivefold since 2016 to 161 million cubic meters per day, he added, noting that two additional FSRU units will raise capacity to 200 million cubic meters per day in the coming years.
Bayraktar also said underground storage capacity at Silivri and Tuz Golu has reached 6.3 billion cubic meters, with plans to expand it further so that at least 20% of annual gas consumption can be stored by 2028.
“Thanks to our international projects and strong infrastructure, we do not face any natural gas supply security issues today, and we will not in the future,” he concluded.
