News From Turkey Natura! Gas Prices to Fall in 2007 Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Güler indicatecf that the increase or decrease in the global naturaı gas prices are reflected with a 6 to 9 month lag in the market due to the fact that price calculations are made far 6 or 9 month periods, and said that the recent price decrease will reflect in 6 to 9 months in the Turkish market. Minister Güler attended the ceremony held for the 2007 execution of the annually renewed power trade protocol between Georgia and Turkey with the Georgian Minister of Energy Nicolai Giloiro, and indicated that warm commercial, economicaı and foreign policy reıations exist between Turkey and Georgia. -----------~ ----------- 9 Out Of 12 Wells Drilled in Thrace (Trakya) Yields Natura! Gas Natural gas was discovered in 9 aut of the 12 wells drilled in Thrace by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO). TPAO Thrace District manager Adnan Eroğlu expressed the great importance of every cubic meter of natura! gas found tor Turkey. Eroğlu said, "we are relentlessly exploring tor natural gas in Trakya. The latest discovery of natura! gas was at 740 meters at the 'Hamitabat 0-1' well just outside the Çeşmekolu village 15 kilometers away from Lüleburgaz. Since the area where the gas was dlscovered is located only 250 meters to our pipeline, we will deliver the gas to the pipeline and conduct the tests necessary. We will include the render the pipeline connections operational within 20 days.' Eroğlu, after mentioning that TPAO has invested a total of 830 million US Dollars both within Turkey and abroad, said, "When investments are made, success comes, as weıı. We are having a successful year. We had planned on drilling 15 wells in Trakya. We are now working to increase this number to 18. The annual natural gas need of Turkey is 16 billion cubic meters. We want to increase our production to 416 million cubic meters. We will increase our production once the new wells become operational. The investments of TPAO in 4 years have increased 8 times." District Manager Eroğlu has added that TPAO will invest 150 million YTL in Trakya. -----------~ ----------- Consultancy Bid Awarded For the Salt Lake Gas Storage Botaş Has announced that an 8.88 million Euro agreement has been signed with 081GUT of Germany and Troya Ltd. of Turkey as a result of the consuıtancy bid far the Salt Lake underground natural gas storage projeci. The agreement was signed after the approvaı of the World Bank, which provides financial support far the project, and the board of Sataş, indicated a written announcement, issued by Botaş. A total of 1 billion cubic meters of storage capacity will be provided with the Salt Lake projeci. The first six storage units, achieving a storage capacity of 500 million cubic meters at that stage, will enter service in the facility in 201 O, where a total of 12 storage units will be constructed ultimately. - 1 Doğal Gaz Dergisi, 2006/10 The next set of six storage units will be completed in 2013. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is planning to realize the underground storage facility at once while interruptions in the flow of natural gas purchased from Russia and ıran during the especially harsh winter months and during the shipment of LNG purchased from Algeria and Nigeria are causing problems. Plenty of Energy for Turkey Energy and Naturaı Resources Minister Hilmi Güler said that Turkey will be investing 130 billion USD in the energy projects, including nuclear energy, for the private sector in the upcoming years to reduce its dependency on import. The Minister announced that they are planning to transform Turkey into a regional centerof energy by constructing pipelines worth billions of US Dollars !hat will be pumping oil and natura! gas from Central 1 Asia to Europe, 1 Güler, indicating that they will be investing 1 approximately 5 to 6 billion USD average 1 every year, stated that just the power sector 1 aıone will receive investments in the amount 1 of 105 billion USD, Güler said, "This İS a huge amount and what we want to see is all ini vestment to be made by the private, rather 1 than the public sector. The only exception is 1 the power distribution networks." 1 1 "One of the largest two projects will be the construction of three nuclear power plants 1 with a total capacity of five thousand mega1 watts. The efforts of Turkey to construct a nucıear planı have failed due to the cost, legal issues and opposition of environmental groups" said Güler, and added that the construction of the planı will commence in 2007, but he would not want to announce a definite date. in a prior announcement, the government had declared that construction would commence in January 2007. The 130 billion USD investment plan encompasses renewable energy, including the hydroelectric, solar and coaı energy, as well. Güler explained, "We will be unable to meet the needs in 2020 even if were to utilize all the renewable energy resources at hand. We are currently using only 35 per cent of our water and coal resources, meaning we want the investors to enter the areas of water and coal in addition to the wind energy,"
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