Türkiye regulations · 17 October 2026
Bayraktar calls for fuller pipeline utilisation and regional energy cooperation
In an October 16 ministry announcement, Bayraktar advocated better use of existing pipelines and outlined his expectations for Akkuyu’s first generation and Türkiye’s 2050 nuclear capacity target.
Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, called for more effective use of oil and gas pipelines during Russian Energy Week in Moscow. The ministry’s announcement, dated October 16, 2026, highlighted his proposal to move additional energy supplies to Türkiye and global markets through existing infrastructure. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946)
Diversification and infrastructure investment
Speaking at the “Resilience Against Geopolitical Shocks” panel, Bayraktar said recurring crises and shocks in energy markets had become a new normal for the global economy. He noted that Türkiye’s energy demand was increasing and that most resources were imported. He identified diversification and continuous infrastructure investment as the two central areas of policies addressing demand growth and import dependence. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946)
Official source: Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources ↗A proposal to move more through existing pipelines
Bayraktar said TurkStream and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan were not being used at full capacity. He suggested that more oil and gas could be transported from Kazakhstan or Central Asia to Ceyhan and global markets through existing pipelines. He also cited a capacity of 1.5 million barrels for the Iraq–Türkiye crude oil pipeline; the announcement did not specify a time unit for that figure. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946) The minister emphasised that the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline served the Mediterranean basin as well as Türkiye. He proposed bringing additional oil volumes to Türkiye, neighbouring markets and global markets through Türkiye. The statement is a call for better capacity utilisation, not an announcement of a new transportation agreement or an implemented capacity increase. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946)
Official source: Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources ↗Akkuyu generation expectations and a long-term target
Discussing nuclear energy’s role in meeting rising demand, Bayraktar outlined a target of building at least 20 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2050. He said four reactors were under construction with Rosatom at Akkuyu and expressed hope that the first unit could begin generating electricity within the next few months. This was presented as his expectation, not a confirmed commissioning date. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946)
Official source: Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources ↗Energy talks and the nuclear workforce
In Moscow, Bayraktar met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Gazprom Chairman Alexey Miller and Novatek Management Board Chairman Leonid Mikhelson. He said Türkiye was offering broader cooperation on regional supply security, particularly involving Europe. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946) Meeting representatives of young people studying nuclear engineering in Russia, the minister said 322 of the 526 students sent there had completed their education and started work at Akkuyu. He said there were plans to send more students abroad. He stressed the importance of trained personnel in transferring engineering, manufacturing and operating experience from Akkuyu to the nuclear plants planned for Sinop and Thrace. [Source](https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=31946)
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