Shift in Import Dynamics as Pipeline and LNG Shares Evolve
Turkiye’s natural gas imports fell by 7.64% in 2023, reaching 50.48 billion cubic meters compared to the previous year, according to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority’s (EPDK) annual natural gas sector report. Of the total imports, 71.73% (36.21 billion cubic meters) were delivered via pipelines, while the remaining 28.27% (14.27 billion cubic meters) were sourced as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In 2022, Turkiye had recorded a higher import volume of 54.66 billion cubic meters. The report detailed that 66.39% of last year’s imports were conducted under long-term licenses, while 33.61% were spot purchases. Turkiye diversified its natural gas supply by importing from 21 different countries.
Russia remained the top supplier, providing 42.27% of Turkiye’s total imports, followed by Azerbaijan (20.32%), Algeria (11.86%), Iran (10.71%), and the USA (7.95%). The country imported 21.34 billion cubic meters from Russia, while the smallest volume, 92 million cubic meters, came from Oman. Other sources included Norway, Brazil, and Mozambique.
Turkiye imported approximately 6 billion cubic meters of LNG from Algeria under a long-term contract. The USA supplied 4 billion cubic meters, and Egypt provided 1.32 billion cubic meters of spot LNG. Smaller quantities of LNG were also imported from France and Belgium.
The state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) was responsible for 90.45% of the total imports, followed by Akfel Gas Industry and Trade Inc. (3.43%), Bosphorus Gaz (2.77%), Kibar Enerji (1.98%), Socar Enerji (0.97%), and Ege Gas Inc. (0.39%).
Among the import entry points, Durusu topped the list with 11.95 billion cubic meters, followed by Kiyikoy (8.6 billion cubic meters), TANAP Seyitgazi (5.9 billion cubic meters), Gurbulak (5.4 billion cubic meters), Marmara Ereglisi LNG Terminal (5.07 billion cubic meters), and others.
December saw the highest monthly import volume at 6.06 billion cubic meters, while the lowest was recorded in June at 2.33 billion cubic meters. Turkiye also exported 896.28 million cubic meters of natural gas last year, with the largest volumes going to Bulgaria (370.9 million cubic meters), Greece (216.57 million cubic meters), and Romania (101.46 million cubic meters). The largest LNG recipient was Switzerland, receiving 206.42 million cubic meters.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz