ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s energy minister on Friday announced that daily crude oil production in the Gabar field in the province of Sirnak has reached 80,000 barrels, marking a steady increase in the overall production capacity.
“The oil extracted from the fertile lands of our Sirnak strengthens our country's journey toward energy independence,” Alparslan Bayraktar said on X. The goal is 100,000 barrels per day, he added.
In December 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the discovery of the oil field on Sirnak’s Mount Gabar, containing an estimated 150 million barrels valued at approximately $12 billion. Sirnak is a small province in southeastern Turkey, bordering the Kurdistan Region.
Bayraktar is originally from the province. “As a native of Sirnak, we take pride in contributing to Turkey’s development,” he said.
Turkey is struggling with crippling economic woes with its currency losing value and people facing soaring inflation and a cost of living crisis.
Mehmet Yarka, former mayor of Sirnak, said in March 2023 that the city's booming economy had kickstarted a reverse migration from the bigger cities back to Sirnak.
“Sirnak has grown and developed a lot. People build homes and invest, and those who left the city due to issues, are now returning from Adana, Ankara, Mersin, and Istanbul,” Yarka said at the time.
A member of parliament from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) Party said earlier this month, however, that many local people who had hoped to see some economic benefit from the field have been disappointed.
“Three thousand people work here, but most of them are from outside,” said Mehmet Zeki Irmez.