Turkey discovers large natural gas reserve off Black Sea, says Erdoğan

Turkey has found major natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Friday.

"Turkey has made the biggest natural gas discovery in the Black Sea," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

Turkey's drilling ship Fatih discovered some 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea at the Tuna-1 zone on July 20, Erdoğan said, adding Turkey aims to bring it to public use in 2023 and to become a net energy exporter.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Tayyip Erdogan told energy executives he will announce "good news" on Friday that will mark the “beginning of a new era” for the nation.

On July 20, the Fatih drill ship began drilling in the Tuna-1 field in the Black Sea.

Fatih's 103-meter-long (338 feet) tower was disassembled in Istanbul's Haydarpasa port to enable the safe passage of the vessel under the bridges spanning the Bosphorus Strait before its journey north to the Black Sea.

The vessel set sail for the Black Sea on May 29 from Istanbul to the Port of Trabzon in Turkey's northeast, where it reached its destination for reassembly on June 6.