Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov.27 / Trend A.Taghiyeva /
Turkey's dependence on imported energy resources over the next 10 years will be reduced from the current 50 per cent to 30 per cent of its total needs, the Hurriyet newspaper quotes Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz as saying on Tuesday.
According to Yildiz, after a nuclear power plant is put into operation in Turkey, 70 per cent of its energy needs will be provided at the expense of domestic sources.
Turkey also plans to start oil exploration on its own territory to reduce dependence on imports, Yildiz said.
Turkey's demand for natural gas rose to 48 billion cubic meters in 2012 compared to 43 billion last year, Deputy General Director of the State Pipeline Company Botaş Mehmet Konuk said earlier.
By 2020, Turkey expects growth of up to 70 billion cubic meters in the demand for natural gas.
As the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said in its earlier report, Turkey's demand for electricity will grow to 500 billion kilowatt / hours in 2023 compared to 230 billion kilowatt / hours this year.