Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 6 / Trend A. Tagiyeva /
The Turkish Oil and Gas Corporation has decided to continue drilling operations at the Surmene-1 well in the Black Sea because the preliminary drilling revealed oil reserves.
It is planned to drill a well to a depth of 4,800 meters during the first phase. Over time, drilling will be conducted in a greater depth.
The U.S. company Exxon Mobil will conduct drilling operations at the well.
The Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry evaluated this as an extremely important event.
Turkey actively searches for oil deposits to reduce dependence on oil products from abroad. The Turkish government has set a task to meet the needs of the country's oil production until 2023.
After Nicosia began working to develop the shelf near the shores of the island, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will explore for oil and gas in the exclusive economic zone of Northern Cyprus along with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.