Milliyet – Royal Dutch Shell and Türkiye’s state-owned oil company the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) will jointly begin to explore for shale gas in Türkiye’s southeastern province of Diyarbakir this month.
The first two wells to be drilled in Konacik will have a depth of 3,000 meters and will be followed by horizontal drilling to reach shale reserves thought to be in the area. Shell plans to open over 20 wells if initial drills are found to be successful.
Shell and TPAO signed a deal in late 2011 to jointly explore and produce oil and gas in Batman and Diyarbakır provinces in southeastern Türkiye.
Looking to reduce its dependency on imported fuels, Türkiye has accelerated energy exploration and production efforts in recent years. The country is thought to have substantial reserves of shale gas in Thrace, in the Central Anatolian provinces of Ankara, Konya, Nevsehir, as well as in Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia and Diyarbakir in the Southeastern Anatolia regions.