Turkey will increase its gas imports from Algeria under a new bilateral gas deal, Turkey’s ruling party Ak Parti said on Thursday.
Under the 10-year
agreement, signed on Wednesday in Algeria, Turkey will import 4.4 billion cubic
metres of liquefied natural gas annually from Algeria. Under the previous
contract, expiring at the end of this year, Turkey has been importing 4.0
billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas per year since 1988, Ak Parti said
in a statement published on its website.
Turkey and Algeria have also
agreed to develop new natural gas exploration and production projects, to
cooperate in the renewable sector and in the electricity transmission and system
operations, according to the statement.
Algeria has become the fourth
biggest natural gas imported in Turkey, Turkey’s president Recep Erdogan said
during the signing ceremony as quoted by Turkish new agency Anadolu
Ajansi.
The top three natural gas importers in Turkey are Russia, Iran,
and Azerbaijan, supplying a total of 42 billion cubic metres of gas via
pipelines to Turkey every year, according to data published on the website of
Turkish state-owned oil and gas pipeline operator Botas.