LNG stations to be established in Turkey - DAILY SABAH

30.1.2017

The Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) has taken an important step after Turkey's first floating liquefied natural gas plant, a visionary project headed by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak, was put into use in İzmir's Aliağa district. The EPDK decided to establish LNG stations following a regulatory amendment. Particularly in trucks and buses, the use of LNG, which is the application area, is being promoted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and encourage environmentally friendly transportation.

In line with the board decision taken by the EPDK, the Natural Gas Market License Regulation will be amended. Wholesale license holders with LNG stations will be able to carry out the sale of LNG for use as fuel in road vehicles at the facilities they establish at a certain addresses. In this way, only license holders will be able to sell LNG at the facilities that are subject to their licenses. Other wholesale companies selling natural gas throughout the country are obliged to take separate licenses if they want to sell LNG used as fuel for road vehicles. The LNG, which is a field of application primarily in vehicles such as trucks and buses, is not used for small vehicles since it is not suitable for storage. With the new regulation, the use of natural gas will be extended and the emission of carbon dioxide will be reduced to promote environmentally friendly transportation.

Turkey's energy watchdog imposes cap on power prices - REUTERS

Friday, 6 January 2017 12:32 GMTReporting by Orhan Coskun and Akin Aytekin; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle

• EPDK sets price cap at 500 lira per MWh
• Energy minister says extra measures taken on infrastructure
• Gas flows from Iran continue, albeit below full capacity (Adds energy minister quotes, background)

ANKARA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Turkey's energy watchdog EPDK imposed a two-month cap of 500 liras per megawatt hour on electricity prices on Friday after prices rose to their highest level in years.

Turkey's daily natural gas consumption has risen to record highs since December, largely due to colder-than-usual weather triggering higher power consumption.

EPDK floats gas distribution tenders in Turkish lira - DAILY SABAH

27.12.2016

The Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) is set to hold its first ever tender in Turkish lira, which will see five companies bid against each other to land natural gas distribution projects in Turkey's Ağrı and Tunceli. According to the EPDK authorities, two more tenders will soon be finalized to expand natural gas distribution coverage in Turkey.

Aksa Natural Gas Distribution Company, Fernas Construction Company, Akmercan Tourism Company, Siirt-Batman Natural Gas Distribution Company and the Alöz Engineering Company will vie today for the two natural gas distribution projects, which will cover Ağrı's city center and the province of Doğubayazıt, as well as two other similar projects in Tunceli on Dec. 28.

Turkey to legislate for further opening of gas market: report - PLATTS

Istanbul (Platts)--8 Apr 2016

Turkey is planning new legislation to further open the country's gas market, which is currently dominated by state gas importer and transmission operator Botas, Mustafa Yilmaz head of Turkey's energy regulator EPDK said in an interview published in Turkish business daily Dunya Thursday.

The new gas market law would facilitate the unbundling of Botas and the holding of new tenders for the transfer of Botas' import volumes to the private sector to enable the operation of a liberalized gas market, Yilmaz said.

Yilmaz added that Turkey's energy market is ready for such a move, pointing out that previous tenders for the transfer of volumes from Botas' import contracts had experienced limited success because the market was not ready.

Turkey sets date for tender of gas pipeline from Iraqi Kurdistan | Today's Zaman

December 29, 2015

The state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) will open a tender on Feb. 9 for the construction of the Şırnak Natural Gas Pipeline, which will integrate the natural gas of northern Iraq into Turkey's gas grid, the company said on Monday.

According to BOTAŞ's statement, the tender will include the construction of a 180-kilometer pipeline which is expected to commence operation in 2018, carrying up to 20 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year. The pipeline is planned to be connected to the national gas network through a valve at an existing pipeline in Mardin province. Northern Iraq reportedly has 5 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves.

Rattled by the fallout from the downing of a Russian jet, Turkey has geared up to diversify its gas suppliers in order to ensure its energy security. Even though Russia, its main supplier, has avoided imposing restrictions on gas exports to Turkey since then, the Turkish government has engaged in negotiations with its remaining suppliers in a bid to boost the volume of its current imports and to establish alternative sources with new partners.

Turkey currently imports 95 percent of its energy from abroad and fulfills 55 percent (27 bcm) of its annual natural gas requirements (50 bcm) and 30 percent of its oil needs with imports from Russia. Since Turkey downed a Russian warplane over an airspace violation in late November, both diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries have been strained.

An interruption in gas flow to Turkey also poses a risk to the electricity network as the country generates 48.1 percent of its electricity via natural gas, according to government data.

Meanwhile, Turkish media reported on Tuesday that the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) will announce in its Thursday meeting a hike in electricity prices for households by between 5 to 10 percent, effective as of January. The last time the EPDK increased unit prices was on Oct. 1.

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as reported by Anadolu Agency
BOTAS to open Sirnak gas pipeline to tender in February
Sirnak natural gas 185 kilometer-long pipeline will transfer gas from KRG to Turkey, according to BOTAS
The Sirnak Natural Gas Pipeline that plans to carry gas from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) region to Turkey will be opened to tender on Feb. 9, 2016, according to the Petroleum Pipeline Corporation, BOTAS announcement on its website.

After Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian military jet last month, Turkey accelerated its efforts to diversify energy sources as a precaution for any possible gas cuts from Russia. 

As part of that process, the transfer of gas from the KRG region moved up on the agenda with Turkey's decision to advance the project. As a result, the pipeline will be opened to tender in February.

The pipeline will run its 185 kilometer length from Mardin in Turkey's southeast and will finish in Sirnak, on the Silopi border in Turkey's southeastern Anatolia region. It will be connected to the existing Mardin gas pipeline 35 kilometers from its originating point and is planned for connection to Turkey's national gas grid at the Serenli station in Mardin. The 40 inch diameter pipeline will be constructed in 720 days. 

Tony Hayward, head of Genel Energy, a company operating in the KRG, stated in a conference in November that the region has 5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves - enough to meet Turkey's needs for 50 years. 

He also explained that the first flow from the region to Turkey may be delivered in two to three years’ time with a starting capacity of around 10 billion cubic meters. 

"This amount may increase to 20 billion cubic meters at the beginning of 2020," he added. 

By Nuran Erkul, Anadolu Agency


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