TURKEY’S ENERGY POLICY

Turkey’s Energy Policy Nowadays energy security is a paramount issue in the Turkish foreign policy, because in 2004 Turkey consumed nearly 87,8 million tonnes energy equal to oil. It is estimated that according to the Ministry of Natural Resources Turkey will consume nearly 126 mteo energy in 2010 and 222 mteo in 2020. The Turkish policy makers are worried about the ratio of domestic energy sources, which is approximately 28 percent. In other words, today Turkey is importing nearly 72 per cent of its energy needs from abroad. Thus Turkey is heavily dependent on the external resources. In other words, its energy security is under the threat; therefore, Turkey has to diversify its energy sources and assure the flow of energy exports to the Turkish market without any interruption. Hence with the enforcement of that situation, existing Turkish policymakers have concerned that energy is one of fundamental factors of foreign policy and national security. But on the other hand Turkey is located at a very advantageous geography, because Turkey’s neighbors, the Middle Eastern countries, Europe, Russia and the Central Asian republics have nearly 73 percent of global proven oil and natural gas reserves; therefore, for the Turkish policymakers Turkey is a natural energy hub, an energy bridge between energy consuming countries of Europe and energy producing countries of Middle East, Russia and Central Asia and it also stands “a key country in ensuring energy security through diversification of simply sources and routes”. Based upon the Turkey’s needs and geostrategic position, fundamental priorities of the Turkey’s energy policy are to secure, stabilize and diversify energy transportation routes. In favor of that mentality, the Turkish policymakers have given priority to long-distance, cross-border energy pipelines that will assure the energy security for both Turkey and energy consuming countries of the Western world. Meanwhile, its energy strategy is to complete the East-West energy corridor and thus it aims to transport energy resources in the Caspian Sea to the Western countries, bypassing the Russian route. Due to its geostrategic location and its historical, cultural and political links to the Central Asian countries and its full membership process to the European Union, Turkey has intended to become a regional energy corridor, an energy terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean and it has strongly supported every regional integration attempts by participating to the international oil and natural gas projects. At the end, Turkey has planned to become new, important and effective actor in the world energy sector, because by completion of the international projects, nearly 6 to 7 percent of global oil supply will transit through the Turkish territory by 2012 and thus naturally Ceyhan city will become a major energy hub and oil outlet terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the meantime, Turkey will become the Europe’s fourth main artery of energy supply following Norway, Russia and Algeria. Based on that mentality, Turkey has paid special attention to the international oil projects, because major pipeline projects will enhance Turkey’s role in the world energy sector as well as in the world politics. Today Turkey has concentrated on the following projects: 1. Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan oil pipeline, 2. Trans-Anatolian by-pass oil pipeline (Samsun – Ceyhan) 3. Baku – Tbilisi – Erzurum natural gas pipeline 4. Trans-Caspian natural gas pipeline project 5. Southern Europe Gas Ring project 6. Nabucco natural gas project 7. Arab natural gas pipeline 8. Development of Iraqi natural gas reserves. In favor of these concerns, south Caucasia has occupied a special place in the Turkey’s energy policy, because the region is located at the intersection of east-west and north-south energy corridors. In other words, the region is also placed at the center of energy and transportation routes constructed in the Eurasia after the Post-Cold War period. Turkey has desired to see stability, peace and welfare in the region; therefore, for the Turkish policymakers the international energy projects will make direct, concrete and complete effect to the regional politics, because these projects will increase regional political and economic stability and naturally they will make positive contribution to the economic welfare of the regional states. Thus that situation will encourage the regional states to negotiate their issues through peaceful means and to find lasting peaceful solution to the questions due to the fact that the projects will create interdependency among them. Concerning the Central Asia, Turkey has believed that the energy reserves in that region are an important alternative in order to meet the global energy gap in the coming future. But there are some handicaps in front of Turkey’s expectations. First of all, the geostrategic competition among the great powers have prevented or slowed down the construction of some projects. For example, the United States has always rejected realization of any project that exports the Iranian energy resources to the world market and/or that the Iranian firms are the partners. Secondly, security of pipelines is also another question. For example, southeastern Anatolia is still not so secure area because of the PKK terrorist attacks. Even Nagorno – Karabagh issue is another example where Armenian and Azeri parts have a territorial question. South Ossetia issue creates some security questions for the projects that transit the Georgian territory. Thirdly, these projects have serious and heavy financial burdens, although commercial activities in the energy sector are so much more profitable, estimated to 5 or 6 trillion dollars. For that reason each project should have more than one partner. Having more partners means long-process of multilateral negotiations among them that cause the delay of construction of the projects. Nabucco project can be expressed as an example. Still the parties have negotiated to finalize the foundation agreement of the project. They have conflicting concerns and demands about the project and therefore they have to find a consensus among them."Ertan Efegil"