World · Europe · 1 hr ago
Turkey calls for energy cooperation amid global market shocks
Turkey’s energy minister called for wider cooperation to address repeated shocks in global energy markets during a meeting in Moscow.
He said Turkey and Russia benefit from energy ties: Turkey provides a growing market for Russian energy, while Russia helps meet Turkey’s energy needs.
Turkey imports much of the gas, oil and coal it uses, and says it wants to reduce that dependence by diversifying supplies and investing in infrastructure.
Ankara wants to make better use of existing pipelines, including routes that could carry more oil and gas from Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Iraq.
The minister said these routes could also help supply Mediterranean and European markets, especially while the Strait of Hormuz is not operating fully.
Turkey aims for at least 20 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050, alongside renewable energy and more efficient energy use.
Construction continues on four reactors at the Akkuyu plant, and the minister said Turkey hopes its first unit will begin generating electricity in the coming months; it is also developing projects in Sinop and Thrace.
Turkey’s energy minister called for broader international cooperation to address repeated crises and shocks in global energy markets.
Speaking at Russia Energy Week in Moscow, Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkey and Russia demonstrate how energy cooperation can benefit both countries.
He said Turkey provides Russia with a growing market, while Russia plays an important role in Turkey’s energy supply security.
Bayraktar said Turkey wants to use existing energy infrastructure more fully to deliver additional oil and gas to regional and global markets.
He also said Turkey aims to reach at least 20 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2050.
- Who
- Turkey’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
- What
- He called for broader cooperation to address energy market challenges and discussed Turkey’s energy policies and cooperation with Russia.
- When
- At Russia Energy Week; the article was published on October 17, 2026.
- Where
- Moscow, Russia.
- Why
- Bayraktar said repeated crises and shocks are making reliable, affordable energy harder to provide.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bayraktar said 19% of the increase in Turkey’s energy demand came from cooling needs.
Bayraktar discussed energy markets, Turkey’s energy policies and cooperation with Russia in Moscow.
Bayraktar said Turkey hoped to begin generating electricity from the first unit at Akkuyu nuclear power plant.
Turkey aims to reach at least 20 gigawatts of nuclear electricity generation capacity.
- Turkey’s annual natural gas consumption
- An average of 60 billion cubic metres
- Turkey’s annual oil and petroleum products consumption
- 50 million tonnes
- Turkey’s annual coal consumption
- 40 million tonnes
- Iraq–Turkey Oil Pipeline capacity
- 1.5 million barrels per day
- Nuclear capacity target
- At least 20 gigawatts by 2050
What people are saying
Broader cooperation is extremely important to overcome all these challenges we face in our energy markets. Turkey and Russia offer very good examples of how this cooperation can benefit both countries.
Turkey offers Russia a growing market. At the same time, Russia plays an important role in Turkey's energy supply security.
Can you imagine today without TurkStream? We used to receive natural gas through transit countries; today we can obtain gas directly from Russia via the Black Sea.
For this reason, we aim to reach at least 20 gigawatts of nuclear electricity generation capacity by 2050.