Turkey to ask Azerbaijan for more gas

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler traveled to the Azeri capital, Baku, to discuss securing gas exports to his country for the coming winter months.

Guler left for Baku Monday to attend the "Oil and Gas Potential in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan" conference.

The energy minister is expected to talk with his Azeri counterpart, Natig Aliyev, about increasing exports of natural gas to Turkey by as much as 240 million cubic feet per day, Today's Zaman reported Tuesday.

Guler is also scheduled to meet with Alexander Khetaguri, the Georgian energy minister.

Turkey receives roughly 60 percent of its gas requirements from Russia. Several European and Middle Eastern countries are eying Azerbaijan as a key energy supplier, however.

The Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan is expected to bring around 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to the world market when a fifth well comes online.

Meanwhile, Baku reported that by 2011 it will have exported around 1.5 trillion barrels of oil, the Azerbaijan Business Center reported.

"This year we expect the export of (310 million barrels) of oil, in 2009 -- (372 million barrels), in 2010 -- (389 million barrels) and in 2011 -- (384 million barrels)," Azeri Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said.