ANKARA - "Turkey should make energy investments worth of 128 billion USD from 2006 to 2020. 105 billion USD of this amount should be electricity investments," Turkish Minister of Energy & Natural Resources Hilmi Guler said on Wednesday.
Delivering a keynote speech on "2023 Energy Vision" conference jointly organized by Eurasia Strategical Researches Center (ASAM) and Eurasia Bir Foundation in Ankara, Guler said, "Turkey has a very important position in terms of energy resources. We have prepared an 'Energy Strategy Document' to make use of the resources in the best way between 2006 and 2023" he noted.
Pointing to the requirement of creating resource diversity in energy, Guler recalled the problems experienced with Ukraine and Iran in natural gas last year.
"We target to conclude natural gas storage in Silivri this winter. Works on a project in Tuzgolu continue. Researches are underway to determine whether a salt bed in southern city of Mersin can be available for storing natural gas," Guler indicated.
"Turkey does not want to be only a bridge in energy, at the same time, it wants to trade energy as a terminal. You will either be a resource geography or a transition geography," Guler noted.
Guler said energy needs of Turkey could not be met even if all resources of Turkey are used till 2020, "to this end, we give high importance to nuclear power plant to prevent dependence on foreign countries."