Turkey’s state-run energy firm BOTAS has begun construction of a fourth storage tank at the company’s Marmaraereglisi Terminal in the country’s northwest, Turkish local media Daily Sabah reported on July 13.

The new 160,000 cubic-metre storage tank will increase the import terminal’s storage capacity by almost 60% to 415,000 cubic metres. It currently sits at 255,000 cubic metres.

The expansion of the storage capacity at the terminal in Tekirdag province will play a key role in improving Turkey’s flexibility for storage of natural gas supplies. The Marmaraereglisi Terminal boasts a regasification capacity of 37 mn cubic metres.

About 65 LNG tankers typically dock at the terminal each year, which supplies about 15% of the country's natural gas demand. The expansion of storage capacity will allow even more vessels to dock at the terminal.

Ankara has been keen to increase its LNG storage capacity and have greater flexibility in the wake of increased volatility in the LNG spot market following the conflict in the Middle East.

Turkey currently possesses two LNG import terminals and three floating storage and regasification units.

The country’s National Energy and Mining Policy has prioritized increasing LNG regasification capacity, which has climbed by almost fivefold since 2016 going from 34mn cubic metres per day to about 161 mn cubic metres per day.

Ankara has set a target of increasing its LNG regasification capacity to reach 200 mn cubic metres per day with the government planning to add two new floating storage and regasification units. The goal is part of Ankara’s ambition to make Turkey a regional gas trading hub.

Turkey’s LNG imports in 2025 rose to 17.1 bn cubic metres, an increase of 23.5% from the previous year.