Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak launched oil drilling operations in the eastern Turkish province of Hakkari's Çukurca district yesterday. Addressing members of the press at the ceremony, Albayrak emphasized that the ministry has started data collection by gravity surveys in a wide area covering Şemdinli, Cizre in southeastern Turkey and Van and Siirt provinces in eastern Turkey. "We are launching the first deep oil drilling operation in Çukurca today," the minister said and added, "The region has been the topic of energy discussions with its potential in underground resources for oil exploration and mining surveys. The active energy policy we are implementing does not solely focus on deep-sea drilling operations, but also the land drilling activities."
Minister Albayrak stated that the current drilling operations start in an area located at a distance of 3.5 kilometers to the Iraqi border and encompasses a great potential. Turkey has launched the drilling of the first well with the initiatives of local engineers and people, the minister said. The drilling aims to reach 4,450 meters in depth and the results will be collected in the upcoming months, Albayrak emphasized.
Minister Albayrak said that the process will not end with the step taken in Çukurca.
"A new term in energy policy is about to begin. We started to collect gravity data by plane in an area from Şemdinli to Cizre and from Van to Siirt in the north. This is a very important step taken for the first time in Turkey," Albayrak said, adding that the ministry's operations will concentrate on detailed land seismic surveys to see what lies underground in the border region. "We will hopefully take a healthy step in the fields of energy, mineral resources and mining towards Turkey's future, like in every other field," Albayrak added.
