Agreement on Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production in Somali Maritime Areas between Türkiye and Somalia (2025)

10 April is an oil and gas exploration agreement signed between Türkiye and Somalia on 2025. Agreement envisages the initiation of oil and gas exploration and production activities in Somalia’s land land areas through Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO), a state-owned entity of Turkish.

Türkiye and Somali signing ceremony of the hydrocarbon exploration and production agreement on Somali land areas, 10 April 2025 – Anadolu Agency

Parties to the Agreement and Signing Process

The agreement was signed during a ceremony held in Ankara between Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar and Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mine Resources Dahir Shire Mohamed. During the ceremony, the parties agreed to expand the scope of energy cooperation between the two nations.

Scope of the Agreement

Under the agreement, Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı will conduct two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic exploration activities in three distinct blocks covering approximately 16,000 square kilometers of Somalia’s land areas. Following this phase, exploration work will be carried out based on the data collected, leading to production. The agreement covers not only exploration activities but also the transportation, distribution, refining, sale, and service operations of the discovered oil and natural gas.

Project Implementation Schedule

Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar has announced that TPAO will commence field operations in the coming months under the agreement. It has been indicated that drilling programs will be formulated following the analysis of seismic survey data.