Türkiye’s major player in the energy sector, BOTAŞ, is taking a Floating LNG Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) from its inventory outside the borders of Turkey for the first time. According to this development announced by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, a FSRU belonging to BOTAŞ will serve to contribute to Egypt’s natural gas supply security in the summer months. This step opens a new page in energy cooperation between both Türkiye and Egypt.
This historic development was announced after Minister Bayraktar met with Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi in Ankara. Two important agreements were signed in the fields of energy and mining at the ceremony attended by the two ministers.
Cooperation in Hydrocarbons and Mining
The first agreement signed was the “Memorandum of Understanding in Hydrocarbons and Mining”. Within the scope of this memorandum, the two countries will evaluate joint opportunities in hydrocarbon exploration, development and production activities in sea and land fields. In addition, investments in the mining sector will be mutually encouraged and technical cooperation in these areas will be strengthened. In his assessment of this agreement, Minister Bayraktar stated that joint projects will be carried out in strategic areas such as oil, natural gas, geothermal, hydrogen and critical minerals and that technical knowledge and expertise sharing will be increased.
A New Cooperation Model with FSRU
The second important agreement between Turkey and Egypt was the “FSRU Time Charter Agreement” signed between BOTAŞ and Egypt’s public energy company EGAS. With this agreement, an FSRU in the BOTAŞ inventory will undertake a seasonal duty abroad for the first time. Minister Bayraktar emphasized that this model is a first for Turkey and stated that this cooperation will create a flexible and efficient usage model that will contribute to the natural gas supply security of both Türkiye and Egypt.
This step is of great importance in terms of demonstrating Türkiye's technological competence in the field of energy and its approach to international cooperation. The fact that BOTAŞ's FSRU will operate in Egypt can be considered as part of Türkiye's vision of not only meeting its own energy needs but also contributing to the energy security of regional countries.
Minister Bayraktar expressed his belief that these developments have opened a new and promising page in Türkiye-Egypt energy relations and expressed his hope that these steps will be beneficial for both countries.
Ankara Tour with Togg
Following the signing ceremony, a warm gesture took place. Minister Bayraktar took his guest, Egyptian Minister Badawi, on a tour of Ankara with Türkiye's domestic and national car, Togg. Bayraktar, who got behind the wheel of the Anatolian red T10X, showed his guest Türkiye's success in technology after this meaningful collaboration. These sincere moments drew attention as a reflection of the positive relations between the two countries.
