Türkiye LPG and Natural Gas Imports in 2026 — Suppliers, Sakarya and Winter

How much natural gas does Türkiye import, and from where?

Türkiye consumed 58.66 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas in 2025, according to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) ^[1]. Almost all of it is imported. Analysts at Ember, an energy think tank, put the import share at 94.7%, and gas at 26% of primary energy supply ^[2].

Russia is the largest supplier. Data from GAZBİR, the Turkish gas distributors' association, show 21,160 million m³ of Russian gas in 2025, or 36.51% of imports ^[3]. Azerbaijan supplied 20.56%, the United States 15.74%, Iran 13.48% and Algeria 7.66% ^[3]. Russian, Azerbaijani and Iranian gas arrives by pipeline; Iran's line enters at Doğubayazıt ^[3,6]. US and Algerian gas comes as liquefied natural gas (LNG) ^[3].

The mix shifted in 2026. In January–August, Russia's share fell to 33.23% and Iran's rose to 17.44%, GAZBİR's August report shows ^[4]. In August alone, Iran was the largest supplier with 916 million m³ ^[5]. Azerbaijan followed with 752 million m³ and Russia with 723 million m³ ^[5]. Total imports that month fell 32.66% year on year to about 2,776 million m³, and consumption fell 21.96% ^[5].

Iran's role now rests on uncertain paperwork. The 25-year contract, for about 10 bcm a year, expired on 30 July, Sözcü reported ^[6]. Sector sources told the ANKA news agency that a clause may have extended it automatically for five years if neither side opted out ^[6]. The report cites no official confirmation.

How did the Gulf crisis and Qatar's force majeure affect Türkiye's gas imports?

Türkiye does not depend on Qatar directly. GAZBİR's 2025 country data name the US and Algeria as its main LNG sources; Qatar is not listed separately ^[3]. The effect has come through prices. Persian Gulf LNG shipments were about 80% below year-earlier levels in late October, Anadolu Agency reported ^[7]. The Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark reached €95.65 per megawatt-hour on 26 October, its highest since December 2022 ^[7].

QatarEnergy has extended its force majeure on LNG deliveries to the end of December, OilPrice reported on 28 October ^[8]. With spot LNG expensive, Türkiye bought less of it. LNG made up 48% of imports in December 2025 but 31% in March 2026, the first full month of the war ^[3,9,2]. The share fell to 6% in July and recovered to 14% in August ^[10,4]. All of August's LNG, 384 million m³, came from Algeria, and no US cargoes arrived that month ^[5,4].

Pipeline supply had its own scare. In March, journalist Olcay Aydilek reported that Iranian flows had fallen from 30–31 million m³ a day to 7–8 million ^[11]. Middle East Eye carried the report, which cited unnamed sources ^[11]. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar denied that flows had been disrupted after strikes on Iran's South Pars field ^[1]. Analysts quoted by Middle East Eye said storage and other routes could cover an Iranian shortfall ^[11].

The bigger risk is cost. Bayraktar told Al Jazeera in April that extra gas costs could reach $7bn to $10bn this year ^[12]. Ember estimates the 2026 gas bill could rise by about $6.4bn ^[2]. Many contracts are partly indexed to oil with a lag of about nine months, it notes ^[2]. The full effect would therefore arrive in late 2026 ^[2].

How fast is Sakarya gas production growing?

Domestic output is still small but rising. The Sakarya field in the Black Sea produces about 9.5 million cubic metres a day, Daily Sabah reported in August ^[13]. That is enough for roughly 4 million households ^[13]. It has produced 6.7 bcm since 2023 from 12 wells, and supplied 92% of domestic gas output as of May ^[13].

Monthly output has been steady, with one exception. GAZBİR puts Sakarya production at about 257 million m³ in December 2025 and 252 million m³ in March 2026 ^[3,9]. It dropped to about 109 million m³ in July and recovered to 245 million m³ in August ^[10,4]. The reports do not give a reason.

The second phase centres on the Osman Gazi floating production unit (FPU). The ministry said on 15 October that the platform would leave Filyos port on 17 October ^[14]. It expects first gas flaring by the end of 2026 and production from early 2027 ^[14]. Output would then rise to 20 million m³ a day, supplying 8 million households ^[14]. A third phase, with a second floating facility in 2028, targets 45 million m³ a day ^[13].

Is Türkiye's gas storage ready for winter 2026/27?

Türkiye has two underground stores. Silivri, near Istanbul, holds 4.6 bcm, and Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake) in central Anatolia holds 1.7 bcm ^[1]. The ministry plans to raise Silivri to 6 bcm by 2028 and Tuz Gölü to 8.5 bcm by 2032 ^[1]. Its target is to store at least 20% of annual consumption by 2028 ^[1].

Stocks entered the 2026 refill season in better shape than Europe's. Bayraktar said in late March that storage was 71% full ^[1]. In April he told Al Jazeera it was 72% full, against 28% in Europe ^[12]. By the end of August, Türkiye held 5,760 million m³ of gas: 5,456 million m³ underground and 304 million m³ in LNG terminals ^[5]. That underground volume equals about 87% of the 6.3 bcm capacity, by our calculation. Stocks were 16% higher than a year earlier ^[4].

Storage covers only part of winter demand. Türkiye consumes about 180 million m³ a day, according to Middle East Eye ^[11]. Analysts it quoted see pipeline imports, LNG and storage working together as the buffer against a supply cut ^[11].

Is Türkiye becoming a regional gas hub?

Ankara presents itself as a gas hub, and the export data show modest progress. In August 2026 Türkiye exported 159.4 million m³ to Syria, 45.5 million m³ to Bulgaria and 20.5 million m³ to Hungary, GAZBİR reports ^[4]. Bayraktar told Al Jazeera that around 80 bcm a year can reach Türkiye by pipeline or sea ^[12]. He said gas now reaches Syria through Kilis, and surplus can be sold to Europe via Bulgaria and Greece ^[12]. Our earlier article on the Türkiye energy corridor covers TurkStream transit and LNG terminals in more detail.

Where does Türkiye's LPG come from, and how much is autogas?

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a mix of propane and butane, is used mainly as road fuel in Türkiye. EPDK's 2025 LPG report shows sales of 3,946,351 tonnes, down 4.68% on 2024 ^[15]. Autogas accounted for 83.17%, cylinder LPG for 13.83% and bulk LPG for 3% ^[15].

Imports cover most demand. Türkiye imported 3,435,225 tonnes in 2025, down 5.43%, from 13 countries ^[15]. Algeria, Russia, the US, Georgia and Kazakhstan were the main sources ^[15]. Refineries produced 991,453 tonnes, and exports rose 35.54% to 576,401 tonnes ^[15].

The 2026 crisis has not cut Türkiye off from Gulf LPG. In August, imports rose 6.66% year on year to 317,182 tonnes, EPDK data show ^[16]. Algeria ranked first, followed by Saudi Arabia, the US, Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ^[16]. EPDK does not publish volumes by country in these monthly summaries. Autogas took 84.19% of August sales ^[16].

What are households and drivers paying for gas and LPG?

LPG prices follow Algeria's state firm Sonatrach. Its monthly prices serve as a benchmark for the Mediterranean and Black Sea, including Türkiye ^[17,18]. Sonatrach raised propane by $325 to $850 a tonne for April ^[18]. It set October propane at $670 a tonne, up from $560 in September, and butane at $750 ^[17].

At the pump, autogas passed 40 lira a litre in big cities in early October, Evrensel reported ^[19]. The special consumption tax (ÖTV) on LPG rose from 9.2190 to 11.3830 lira per kilogram on 1 October, after a price-stabilisation mechanism ended ^[19]. A second rise of 4.63–4.65 lira followed within 24 hours, attributed to a change in refinery prices ^[19].

For gas, the state importer BOTAŞ raised residential prices by about 25% on 4 April and introduced a two-tier household tariff ^[20]. Tier 1 is 10.625 lira per standard cubic metre and Tier 2 is 18 lira, before taxes and distribution fees ^[20]. A household that exceeds its monthly provincial limit pays the Tier 2 price for the whole month ^[20]. Bayraktar said on 18 October that no gas or electricity price changes were planned for October or November ^[20].

What to watch

• Iran contract status. Whether Ankara or Tehran confirms the reported five-year extension, and how winter flows hold up ^[6,11].
• Qatar and LNG prices. Whether QatarEnergy lifts force majeure after December, and where TTF trades as winter demand rises ^[7,8].
• Osman Gazi start-up. First gas flaring by year-end and production in early 2027 would double Sakarya output ^[14].
• Storage draw. How fast stocks fall from about 5.8 bcm at the end of August ^[5].
• Tariffs from December. Oil-indexed contract costs are expected to feed through in late 2026, according to Ember ^[2,20].
• LPG prices. Sonatrach's November price and the lira will shape autogas costs ^[17,19].

Alupetra follows LPG, LNG and pipeline gas flows into Türkiye daily from its Istanbul office, alongside its broader oil and gas market coverage.