TPAO has taken a 15 percent stake in the consortium formed with bp and ConocoPhillips to develop oil fields in Iraq's Kirkuk region. This strategic partnership will enable Turkey to play a direct role not only in oil transportation but also in production.
Domestic production holds an important place in Ankara's strategy to become an energy hub. While crude oil production is largely concentrated in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, the production increase achieved at the Gabar field in Şırnak has changed the country's oil map. With the commissioning of Gabar, described as the largest onshore oil discovery in the history of the Republic, Şırnak has become the top oil-producing province. According to data from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, approximately 81,000 barrels per day are produced at Gabar, while a total of 35,085 barrels of crude oil are produced in the four provinces under the responsibility of the Batman Regional Directorate.
Diversifying oil supply
In addition to rising domestic production, Turkey supports its oil supply security with a diversified import structure. According to May data from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), Turkey imported approximately 2,665,665 tons of crude oil. Kazakhstan ranked first in crude oil supply, while Russia, the US, Iraq and Guyana were among the main suppliers.
While a significant portion of this oil reaches Turkey by sea, the Ceyhan Terminal continues to be one of the important centers of regional oil trade. In addition to Azerbaijani oil, Kazakh and Turkmen oil are transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline depending on production. According to BOTAŞ data, approximately 96.9 million barrels of oil were transported through the pipeline, which has an annual capacity of 50 million tons, in the first half of the year. This pipeline remains one of the strategic energy corridors that delivers Caspian resources to global markets via a route outside Russia and Iran.
Energy cooperation with Iraq deepens
The Iraq-Turkey Crude Oil Pipeline, which carries Iraqi oil to world markets via Ceyhan, also plays a critical role in regional oil flows. The pipeline, which runs from Kirkuk to Ceyhan and was recommissioned in March this year, has a daily transport capacity of around 1.5 million barrels. While shipments initially started at around 170,000 barrels per day and have reportedly reached 180,000 to 200,000 barrels, the Iraqi side aims to increase the transported volume in the coming period.
Ankara and Baghdad are continuing talks on a more comprehensive energy cooperation model for the Iraq-Turkey Crude Oil Pipeline. Turkey is reportedly ready to allocate capacity for Iraq to resume oil exports of around 750,000 barrels per day. The new framework is expected to deepen energy cooperation between the two countries with higher shipment volumes in the long term.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeydi said Iraq could supply Turkey with up to 1 million barrels of oil per day demonstrates the political will to expand energy trade between the two countries. The transportation of Iraqi oil in higher volumes via Ceyhan is expected to strengthen the terminal's strategic role in regional oil trade and contribute to Turkey's goal of becoming a global energy hub.
TPAO's partnership with bp and ConocoPhillips to develop the Kirkuk fields stands out as a strategic step that enables Turkey to directly participate not only in oil transportation but also in production. The partnership is also expected to expand Ankara's room for maneuver in energy diplomacy.
