Turkey will import 1.3bn cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas from Turkmenistan by the end of this year, energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar reiterated on February 23.

On February 11, Turkey’s government-run natural gas monopoly Botas signed an agreement with its counterpart Turkmengaz to on March 1 launch the flow of gas from Turkmenistan to Turkey via the Turkey-Iran Natural Gas Pipeline.

The pipeline has an annual capacity of 10 bcm. During winter months, Iran halts the pipeline due to domestic needs.

No details on anticipated annual Turkmen gas volumes were provided. In previous statements, Bayraktar has said Turkey could buy up to 2 bcm of gas annually from Turkmenistan.

Subsequently, Bayraktar has only been reiterating that Turkey is planning to import 1.3 bcm of gas from the Central Asian country, located northeast of Iran, by end-2025.

Turkmen gas

Turkmenistan in some rankings is placed sixth in the world by volume of gas reserves, which are estimated for the country at 7.5 trillion bcm. It produced 82 bcm and consumed 39 bcm in 2023.

The country has a 45 bcm per year export contract with China, under which gas flows go through the Trans Asia Gas Pipeline (TAGP). However, it is unclear whether China is buying the full amount.

Turkey’s imports

Turkey's Gas Import (Take-or-Pay) Contracts
Pipeline	From	bcm/year	Expires	Contract-holder
Eastern Anatolia	Turkmenistan (Iran swap)	1.3	2025	Botas
Blue Stream	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	16	Dec-2025	Botas
TurkStream	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	5.75	Dec-2025	Botas
Eastern Anatolia	Iran	9.6	Jul-2026	Botas
LNG	Algeria (Sonatrach)	4.4	Dec-2027	Botas (Marmara Ereglisi)
South Caucaus	Azerbaijan (Shakh Deniz I)	3.5	Dec-2030	Botas
TANAP	Azerbaijan (Shakh Deniz II)	6	Jul-2033	Botas
LNG	Oman LNG (1mn tonnes)	1.46	Jan-2035	Botas
LNG	USA (ExxonMobil/New York/XOM, 2.5mn tonnes)	3.65	May-2035	Botas
LNG	UK (Shell/London/SHEL, 2027)	4	2037	Botas
LNG	France (TotalEnergies/Paris/TTE, 2027)	1.1	2037	Botas
TurkStream	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	1	2043	Bati Hatti
TurkStream	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	2.25	2043	Akfel Gaz
TurkStream	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	1.75	2043	Bosphorus Gaz
West Line	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	1.75	2043	Akfel Gaz
TurkStream	Russia (Gazprom/Moscow/GAZP)	1	2043	Kibar Enerji
-	Azerbaijan	0.15	2046	Botas
Total Active	-	64.66	-	All
Total Active	-	56.91	-	Botas
TurkStream	Russia	31	Capacity	-
Blue Stream	Russia	16	Capacity	-
West Line	Russia	16	Capacity	-
TANAP	Azerbaijan (Shakh Deniz II)	16	Capacity	-
South Caucaus	Azerbaijan (Shakh Deniz I)	25	Capacity	-
Eastern Anatolia	Iran	14	Capacity	-
Total Pipelines	-	118	Capacity	-

Table: Turkey's gas import contracts.

In 2023, Turkey imported 50 bcm of gas, down 8% y/y from 54 bcm in 2022. Pipeline imports amounted to 36 bcm, or 72% of total imports, while 14 bcm, or 28%, arrived as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Table: Turkey's gas production and exports remained at insignificant levels in 2023.

Botas was responsible for 90% of Turkey's gas imports in 2023, as usual.

A total of 21 bcm of gas arrived via pipelines (TurkStream pipeline and the Blue Stream pipeline) from Russia, representing a 42% share in total, while Azerbaijan took a 20% share by providing 10 bcm of gas via the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) pipelines.

Contracted LNG imports from Algeria amounted to 6 bcm, or 12% of imports. They were followed by piped gas from Iran at 11% with 5.4 bcm.

In January-November 2024, Turkey imported 45 bcm of gas, including 35 bcm via pipelines in addition to 10 bcm of LNG.

Turkey’s re-exports

In 2023, Turkey exported 896mn cubic metres (mcm) of gas with 371 mcm going to Bulgaria (pipeline), 217 mcm to Greece (pipeline), 206 mcm to Switzerland (LNG) and 102 mcm to Romania (pipeline).

In 2023, Botas signed natural gas re–export deals with Moldova (700 mcm/year), Romania (1.5 bcm/year), Bulgaria (1.5 bcm/year) and Hungary (275 mcm/year).

Turkey’s government claims that it is on course to produce significant volumes of gas from fields found off the Black Sea coast.

In January-November 2024, Turkey exported 1.4 bcm of gas (pipeline) to Bulgaria in addition to 275 mcm (pipeline) to Hungary.

Currently, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are cooking up an agreement to end the Ukraine War. Turkey’s regional "gas hub" story may, as a result, become obsolete if and when sanctions on Russia are lifted.