“We will work without rest until we achieve the goal of a Türkiye fully independent in energy”

 

Speaking at the 11th Energy Efficiency Forum, President Erdoğan said: “We will work without rest or pause until we achieve the goal of a Türkiye fully independent in energy and other areas. We are exploring our own resources while also endeavoring to ensure our energy supply security in line with the rising demand.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the 11th Energy Efficiency Forum and Exhibition in Istanbul.

“A FUTURE FULL OF CHALLENGES IN ENERGY SUPPLY AWAITS HUMANITY”

“We live in a century when energy, particularly energy supply security, has become one of the most strategic issues for humanity. In parallel with the expanding population and growing economy, the world’s need for energy is rising year by year. What is more, developing countries are exerting efforts to grow above the world average in a bid to reach a certain level of development. A future full of challenges in energy supply, demand, and supply security is awaiting us, the humanity. I would like to underline that energy became a subject of a destructive competition rather than cooperation for long years in human history. The 19th and 20th centuries, in particular, inflicted deep wounds on memories as the centuries when countless lives were sacrificed for the sake of energy. The late Raif Karadağ’s book titled Petrol Fırtınası [Oil Storm] is a seminal work shedding light on that period,” President Erdoğan said. 

“The imperial mindset, which considers a drop of oil more valuable than a drop of blood, visited on humanity such tragedies and destruction that their impacts are still visible. While millions of people living atop rich underground resources are grappling with severe poverty, countries thousands of miles away from these resources grew, enriched, and offered their citizens a prosperous life. The gap this caused in prosperity and development couldn’t be closed yet despite the years since. When you take a look at the satellite images showing different continents, you can clearly see the chasm between the south and the north. The map on one side is full of sparkling dots; yet, on the other side, dominated by a deep darkness, it is almost impossible to find one singly shiny dot. This picture looks, unfortunately, pretty unlikely to gain a more just and balanced structure unless the paradigm in energy changes.”

President Erdoğan continued: “Another aspect that needs to be highlighted is that the rise in energy demand points not only to an expanding population and growth, but also to an increse in prosperity. In parallel with the increase in prosperity, energy, particularly electricity, is used more widely. Electric products, which are considered synonymous with comfort, have become indispensable for our lives, with their use getting more and more widespread. Last year, for instance, the sale of white goods in our country surged 7 percent year-on-year, exceeding 10 million. The same goes for electric vehicles, too. Like anywhere else in the world, the number of electric and hybrid vehicles is rising asymmetrically in our country, as well. For example, some 134 thousand electric automobiles were sold in the January-September period this year. A life without electricity is not possible even in the remotest villages, let alone in cities.”

“WITH OUR FOUR DRILLING AND TWO SEISMIC EXPLORATION VESSELS, WE RANK THE FIFTH GLOBALLY”

“As Türkiye, we have been in a major economic dynamism since 2002,” President Erdoğan noted. “Our average annual growth rate was 5.4% in the 2003-2024 period. In 2024, we grew 3.3 percent. In the same period, we increased our national income per capita from 3,600 dollars to 15,325 dollars. Our annualized national income per capita neared $17,000 in the second quarter of 2025. In national income, which we took over from the level of 238 billion dollars, we entered the league of trillion-dollar economies for the first time in 2023. As you know, we unveiled our Medium Term Program last month, setting ambitious targets for the next three years. We foresee that we will reach $1.9 trillion in economic growth and some $21 thousand in national income per capita. We aim to achieve $300 billion in exports and over $70 billion in tourism revenues. According to our forecasts, our population will exceed 88 million by 2030 and reach 94 million by 2050. We all know very well what these figures mean in terms of energy demand and consumption.”

“I believe we are all aware of the following fact that we, unlike the countries in our neighborhood, are not a country that is self-sufficient in oil and natural gas. We need to procure a significant majority of the fossil fuels we consume in both daily life and in industry form abroad. Our natural gas consumption climbed from 17.4 bcm in 2002 to 53.2 bcm in 2024. Our forecast for 2025 is 59.5 bcm. In the first 8 months of this year alone, we paid $26 billion for energy imports. We are working hard to lower this bill. With 785 bcm five years ago in the Black Sea, we made the largest natural gas discovery in the history of the Republic of Türkiye. Transferring the natural gas produced at the Sakarya Gas Field to the Filyos Processing Plant in a timespan shorter than three years, we put it at the disposal of our nation. At the moment, this delieres the needs of 4 million households. This number will increase to 8 million households by 2026 and 16 million households by 2028,” President Erdoğan said. 

“In oil, on the other hand, our daily consumption is about 1 million barrels, 160 thousand of which we meet from our own resources. The picture in front of us shows that even though we have made an important breakthrough with the oil discoveries in the Black Sea and Gabar, we still have a significant distance ahead of us to cover. We have expanded our fleet and accelerated our seismic exploration and drilling activities in a bid to cover that distance. With our four drilling and two seismic exploration vessels that are currently operational, we rank the fifth globally in this field. We will rise to the fourth place with our new vessels’ entry into the inventory. We will work without rest or pause until we achieve the goal of a Türkiye fully independent in energy and other areas. On the one hand, we are exploring our own resources, and on the other hand, we are endeavoring to ensure our energy supply security in line with the rising demand. As you also know very well, purchasing natural gas from international markets is nothing like grabbing a soda from your local shop. You will determine your needs, make your plans, find reliable suppliers, and after long negotiations, will reach an agreement for the best prices possible and most favorable terms for your country.”

“IN NUCLEAR ENERGY, WE ARE WORKING TO ELEVATE OUR COUNTRY TO AN UPPER LEAGUE”

“Being dependent on one single country, supplier or even on one single line harbors severe risks,” President Erdoğan warned. “In the initial months of the Russia-Ukraine war, our European friends suffered immensely from this. Thankfully, we were one of the countries to overcome this process most smoothly, due partly to the TurkStream. Neither our industry nor residences experienced any problems. This was largely enabled by the policies we have implemented for 23 years with the aim of supplying our country with cheap, high-quality and uninterrupted energy. We both took strategic steps with energy production in Türkiye and implemented strategic projects one by one that would transform our country into an international energy hub and corridor. In this period, we also diversified our suppliers in types of energy for which we depend on external sources. In 2003, the number of countries we imported natural gas from was just five. Today, BOTAŞ carries out natural gas imports and exports with 34 countries.”

President Erdoğan added: “In nuclear energy, we are working to elevate our country to an upper league. As of now, there are 416 active reactors in 31 countries worldwide. These reactors generate nearly 9% of global electricity. 63 reactors are currently under construction in 15 countries, Türkiye included. The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will inshallah generate its first electricity very soon. Apart from the Akkuyu, we have other nuclear power plant projects, too, on which our negotiations continue. Both during our visit to China and during our most recent trip to the United States, we addressed this issue with our counterparts. The Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation, which we signed with the U.S., is an agreement that is predicated on cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy. This agreement foresees the development of advanced reactor technologies as well as next generation technologies such as small modular reactors. We will make use of nuclear energy not only for electricity production but also in a variety of fields such as medicine, agriculture, research, and industrial heat. In other words, we as the government are working to consolidate our energy supply security for the next two or three decades through a long term approach without neglecting any field.”