Turkey Signs Gas Import Agreement with Mercuria Energy Group for 20 Years

SadaNews - Turkey's state gas company, Botas, has signed a 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) import agreement with Mercuria Energy Group Ltd., marking the largest deal yet in a series of new contracts.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar mentioned in a post on X that starting in 2026, Botas will import approximately 4 billion cubic meters per year of LNG produced in the United States to its domestic market, in addition to Europe and North Africa.

This volume represents about 8% of Turkey's total annual gas demand, but the mention of other markets indicates that part of the supplies will be directed to support Botas' international commercial ambitions.

Egypt is the only active importer of LNG in North Africa, and Turkey has recently agreed with it to provide a temporary import terminal.

Series of Agreements

Botas has also signed a preliminary agreement with Australia's Woodside Energy Group Ltd. to import an additional 5.8 billion cubic meters over 9 years from its LNG export project in Louisiana, USA, starting in 2030, according to Bayraktar in a separate post.

These agreements are part of a series of LNG agreements Turkey signed at the Gastech conference earlier this month, as it seeks to diversify its imports away from traditional pipeline suppliers, Russia and Iran.

Botas is among many energy companies expanding their LNG portfolios by securing supplies ahead of the anticipated global supply surplus expected to begin next year.

Bayraktar added that gas trade will be among the topics discussed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump when they meet at the White House tomorrow, Thursday.

Source: Bloomberg + Reuters