Floating platform ‘Osman Gazi’ has set off for the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said. This is a key step on the road to doubling the country’s domestic gas production capacity Anadolu.
Location and first phase
According to the minister, the ‘Osman Gazi’ platform will operate 170 kilometres off the coast for 20 years. The platform has set off for the Sakarya field to begin operations and develop production capacity.
The first phase of the project is complete: 12 wells have been drilled, and daily production now stands at 9.5 million cubic metres. To date Turkey has produced 7.23 billion cubic metres of natural gas from the Sakarya field.
Plans to increase production
“Our aim is to commission the platform’s flare system by the end of this year, using gas from the Sakarya field,” he said. The start-up of the flare system is intended to be the first stage of the platform’s commercial operation.
In the second phase the ‘Osman Gazi’ platform will double that volume by bringing a further 10 wells into service, the minister said. He added that by 2027 daily capacity is expected to rise to 20 million cubic metres, which will enable gas to be supplied to 8 million households compared with the current 4 million.
Bayraktar added that a second floating production platform, which is currently under construction, will help raise Black Sea production to 45 million cubic metres per day in 2028. A total of 32 wells will be used to achieve this.
