Turkey has discovered energy resources in the Black Sea, most likely natural gas, market sources told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
Turkish officials made the announcement after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to have “good news” marking the start of a new era for the country. Erdogan also promised to continue energy exploration work in the disputed waters of the Mediterranean, according to Bloomberg and Agerpres.
It is not yet clear what is the size and depth at which energy resources have been discovered in the Black Sea, as well as whether it is feasible to extract these resources.
Last month, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced that Turkish drilling vessel Fatih had begun exploratory drilling in the Black Sea Tuna-1 perimeter. “We will search every square meter of our territorial waters for Turkey’s energy independence. If there is anything, we will definitely find it,” Donmez said in a message posted on his Twitter account on July 20.
The Tuna-1 perimeter is located at the intersection of the maritime borders of Bulgaria and Romania with the territorial waters of Turkey.