The minister, commenting on the construction of the Star oil refinery in Turkey, noted that the refinery is an important element in ensuring Turkey's energy security.
The minister also noted that oil and gas exploration will begin in Turkey's southern province of Mersin this week.
On Oct. 19, a solemn opening ceremony of the Star refinery was held in Izmir with the participation of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The facility's total oil refining capacity will be 10 million tons and SOCAR is the main supplier of crude for it.
The refinery will significantly reduce Turkey’s dependence on imports of petrochemical products.
Some 1.6 million tons of naphtha, 1.6 million tons of aviation fuel, 4.8 million tons of low-sulfur diesel fuel, 700,000 tons of petroleum coke, 420,000 tons of mixed xylene and 160,000 tons of sulfur will be produced at the refinery built by SOCAR in the Aliaga district of Izmir, in the territory of the Petkim petrochemical complex.
A law permitting oil exploration in forests and national parks came into force in Turkey in April 2014.
In 2017, 1,863 exploration projects were carried out in Turkey to search for new oil and gas fields.
Turkey is also planning to create a new company for oil and gas exploration abroad. The new company is expected to be engaged in oil and gas exploration in Central Asian and African countries.
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