 with US energy giant Chevron to assess potential cooperation in oil and natural gas exploration and production, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday.){kind=link}
Turkey has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US energy giant Chevron to assess potential cooperation in oil and natural gas exploration and production, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday.
In a post on X Bayraktar said the agreement was signed in İstanbul between Turkey’s state-run oil company Turkish Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) and Chevron and aims to evaluate possible joint projects in Turkey and abroad.
“With this memorandum, we aim to develop joint projects both in Turkey and internationally,” Bayraktar said.
İstanbul’da, millî petrol şirketimiz TPAO ile Chevron arasında, petrol ve doğal gaz arama ve üretim faaliyetleri ile enerji alanlarında olası iş birliklerini değerlendirmek üzere bir Mutabakat Zaptı imzalandı.
Mutabakat zaptı ile hem Türkiye’de hem de uluslararası ölçekte ortak… pic.twitter.com/G3WyDlCmIb
— Alparslan Bayraktar (@aBayraktar1) February 5, 2026
He added that overseas partnerships would complement ongoing exploration efforts in the Gabar region of southeastern Şırnak province and in the Black Sea, supporting Ankara’s goal of transforming TPAO into a global energy company with a production capacity of 1 million barrels per day.
Bloomberg reported last month that TPAO has been having confidential talks with Chevron over a possible partnership focused on seismic surveys and drilling operations. Citing a Turkish official familiar with the discussions, Bloomberg said no specific projects or locations had been disclosed at the time and that the talks were private.
The reported discussions came as Ankara seeks to reduce its heavy dependence on imported oil and gas by boosting domestic production and expanding TPAO’s overseas operations. They have also coincided with improving ties between Turkey and the United States.
According to Bloomberg, a potential Chevron partnership will follow a separate agreement reached in January between TPAO and Exxon Mobil for joint offshore exploration in the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, part of Turkey’s broader push to expand deepwater drilling.
Turkey has struggled to scale up domestic natural gas output despite significant investment in the Black Sea. Production from the Sakarya gas field has remained below initial targets, averaging about 7.7 million cubic meters per day in the January–November period, Bloomberg reported, citing data from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority.
Government plans foresee output rising to 20 million cubic meters per day by 2026 and 40 million cubic meters by 2028.