Erdogan offers free gas pre-election after first Black Sea field shipment

President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday flicked the switch on Turkey's first delivery of natural gas to an onshore plant from a reserve discovered in the Black Sea, and promised to provide free natural gas for households before May 14 elections.

The ceremony was the government's latest attempt to showcase large energy and infrastructure projects in the run up to the election, which opinion polls show Erdogan could lose after two decades in power.

"We will provide free natural gas for household consumption up to 25 cubic meters monthly for one year," Erdogan said at the inauguration of an onshore natural gas port in the northern province of Zonguldak.

Limitless natural gas for all household consumption will be free for the next month, Erdogan said.

Natural gas was first discovered in the Sakarya field off the coast of Zonguldak in 2020, and in Caycuma-1...