Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 5 / Trend R. Hafizoglu /
Exploration operations have started in the vicinity of Diyarbakir to discover shale gas deposits, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said today, Anadolu agency reported today.
The minister said that the exploration operations in Sarıbuğday-1 sector are being conducted by Turkish TPAO together with SHELL.
According to the Turkish state pipeline company Botas, Turkey imported 39.7 billion cubic meters of gas in 2011. Russia ranks first among gas exporters to Turkey, followed by Iran and Azerbaijan.
Turkey actively searches oil and gas fields to reduce dependence on foreign supplies. Great hope was rested on the recent exploration operations in the Sinop area, the results were negative.
After Nicosia (Greek Cyprus) began working to develop the shelf near the shores of the island, divided into Greek and Turkish parts, Turkey together with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus began exploring oil and gas in the special economic zone of Northern Cyprus.