Turkey's diversified energy infrastructure buffers impact of Strait of Hormuz disruption
Turkey maintained stable energy supplies in the first quarter of 2026 despite the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, data from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) show. Natural gas imports reached 19.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) and crude oil and petroleum product imports totaled 3.32 million tons in the January-March period. The country's diversified pipeline network, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and Iraq-Turkey pipelines, reduced reliance on maritime chokepoints.
Turkey maintained stable energy supplies in the first quarter of 2026 despite the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, data from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) show.
Natural gas imports reached 19.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the January-March period, while crude oil and petroleum product imports totaled 3.32 million tons, according to EPDK data. The country's diversified pipeline network reduced reliance on the maritime chokepoint, which handles roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
In January, the U.S. accounted for approximately 35.7% of Turkey's gas imports, followed by Russia at 35% and Azerbaijan at 13.4%, EPDK data show. The U.S. retained the top position in February, while Russia regained the lead in March. On the oil side, Russia supplied roughly half of Turkey's crude imports in both January and March, with Iraq, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia also holding significant shares.
Nearly 30.9 million barrels of oil were transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline in the first two months of the year, according to state pipeline operator BOTAŞ. The BTC pipeline delivers Caspian oil to global markets via a route outside Russia and Iran. The Iraq-Turkey pipeline, running from Kirkuk to Ceyhan, resumed operations in March with a daily capacity of around 1.5 million barrels; initial flows were expected to rise from 170,000 barrels per day toward 250,000 barrels.
On the gas side, the TurkStream system has a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters, delivering gas for both domestic consumption and European exports. The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) carries about 16 billion cubic meters annually, while the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has an initial capacity of 10 billion cubic meters, expandable to 20 billion. The Iğdır-Nakhchivan pipeline supplies gas to Azerbaijan's exclave with a capacity of 2 million cubic meters a day, reducing its dependence on Iranian deliveries. The Iran-Turkey pipeline has a technical capacity of around 14 billion cubic meters per year.
Turkey's supply structure remained broadly stable in the first quarter, benefiting from its diversified portfolio and extensive pipeline infrastructure, which also positions the country as a transit hub for regional energy flows, according to EPDK data.