Turkey imports natural gas from US for first time

Turkey imported 83 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas from the United States in January after the latter became an LNG exporter with its shale gas resources, state-run Anadolu Agency reported based on information from the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK).

According to the report, the import, which constituted 7.15 percent of the total LNG import of around 1 billion cubic meters in January and 1.54 percent of the total natural gas import of around 5 billion cubic meters in January, was the first LNG import from the U.S., as the consumption and import of natural gas reached record levels during the month due to weather conditions. 

Turkey's first LNG import from the U.S., which started exporting LNG to international markets in 2016 thanks to its shale gas resources, was conducted through the spot market.

Qatar also exported 437 million cubic meters of LNG to Turkey via the spot market in January, while Algeria and Nigeria provided Turkey with 468 million and 171 million cubic meters, respectively, in the same month. 

 According to the EPDK figures, Turkey imported almost 400 million cubic meters more natural gas in January year on year, with 240 million cubic meters of the import consisting of LNG.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's figures, the U.S.'s total natural gas production rose to 727 billion cubic meters in 2014 from 546 million cubic meters in 2007. Between the same years, shale gas production in the U.S. reached 380 billion from 36 billion cubic meters, as the country provided almost 48 percent of its natural gas from shale gas in 2014.
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