Fracking Operations in Turkey's Sarıbuğday-1 Field Halted Due to Security Reasons

Fracking operations on a shale gas field in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır have been stalled due to rising violence in the region, International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) President-elect Gürkan Kumbaroğlu told Today's Zaman on Friday.

Sarıbuğday-1 field is expected to hold shale gas reserves that can meet Turkey’s demand for seven years, according to Kumbaroğlu.

Meanwhile, he stressed that developing a deeper trade relations with Iran is important.

“Turkish companies could go to South Pars. Turkish companies are warming to the idea of investments in Iran. If we are not proactive, we'll become subcontractors,” Today’s Zaman quoted Kumaroğlu as saying.

“The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) could search for gas on these fields. We are organizing an energy summit in Antalya that Iran will attend. Iran's participation will be important. This as an important indicator for Turkish companies and their investments,” Kumaroğlu concluded.