ISTANBUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Turkey began drilling at a
second borehole in a Black Sea natural gas field where it made
its largest ever discovery earlier this year, Energy Minister
Fatih Donmez said on Thursday.
In one of the world's biggest finds this year, Turkey said
in an update last month it discovered 405 billion cubic metres
of natural gas in the Sakarya field about 100 nautical miles
north of the Turkish coast.
The Fatih drill ship that made the initial discovery is now
working the second borehole called Turkali-1, Donmez said on
Twitter, adding drilling would last 75 days.
Ankara also plans to send a second ship called Kanuni to the
Black Sea for operations.
If the gas can be commercially extracted, the discovery
could transform Turkey's dependence on Russia, Iran and
Azerbaijan for energy imports. It would also help narrow the
country's chronic current account deficits.
Ankara expects first gas flow from the Sakarya field in
2023. One source close to the matter said an annual gas flow of
15 billion cubic metres was envisaged from 2025. Turkey has also been exploring for hydrocarbons in the
Mediterranean, where its survey operations in disputed waters
have drawn protests from Greece and Cyprus.