At a time when Turkey has to procure most of its energy needs from abroad, it continues to take important steps in energy production and drilling technologies based on domestic resources. Finally, Koca Yusuf TP1500, the first drilling rig developed with domestic and national resources, started to make a significant contribution to Turkey’s energy independence with the drilling works carried out in Gabar.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said in his statement: “Koca Yusuf TP1500, the drilling rig developed in line with our localization goal, started drilling operations in the 42nd well of Şehit Aybüke Yalçın Oil Field in Gabar.”, he emphasized the importance of Turkey’s domestic production capacity.
Koca Yusuf has a drilling capacity of 5 thousand meters designed to find Turkey’s highest quality oil reserves. It was brought to Gabar from BOTAŞ Salt Lake Natural Gas Storage Facility and is ready for new reserves to be discovered all over Turkey.
Minister Bayraktar stated that Koca Yusuf, who took over the duty at Gabar, will contribute to Turkey reaching the daily production target of 100 thousand barrels set for the end of this year. It was also part of a comprehensive exploration program to discover previously unexplored potential reserves identified in the region.
An important aspect of the project is that it provides local cooperation and technology transfer. The project, initiated by the Turkish Petroleum Joint Stock Partnership (TPAO) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), was developed in cooperation with domestic and international companies and resulted in a competitive drilling rig that complies with international standards.
Mechanical manufacturing of the Koca Yusuf TP1500 project was carried out by Petrotek Sondaj Makine, electrical and electronic hardware by Borusan Güç Sistemleri, and design, analysis and software works by Atılım University. These collaborations are of great importance in terms of improving Turkey’s domestic production and technology capabilities.