Türkiye is stepping up efforts to increase domestic oil production, with Diyarbakır emerging as a new focus following the significant rise in output from the Gabar oil fields in Şırnak.
According to information announced by Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the area in Diyarbakır considered to have shale oil potential covers approximately 7,200 square kilometers.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said initial operations are being carried out across four blocks covering roughly 600 square kilometers. The wider geological area believed to hold potential is around 10 to 12 times larger than the current exploration zone.
Bayraktar said 2026 would be a critical year for determining the scale and commercial viability of the resource.
Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing planned
Unlike Türkiye's conventional oil fields, the Diyarbakır project involves unconventional extraction techniques designed to recover oil trapped within underground rock formations.
The program is expected to employ horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. These techniques allow operators to access oil and gas trapped in formations that cannot easily be produced through conventional vertical wells.
Similar technologies played a central role in the rapid expansion of shale oil and gas production in the United States.
Bayraktar has described the Diyarbakır project as potentially a “game changer” for Türkiye's oil industry if exploration and testing produce successful results.
Potential area extends across 7,200 square kilometers
Current operations cover only about 600 square kilometers, while the broader geological formation considered prospective for shale oil extends across approximately 7,200 square kilometers.
The results of the initial wells will therefore be crucial. If commercially recoverable resources are confirmed, exploration and production activities could eventually be expanded into additional sections of the wider area.
Oil exploration activities are also continuing in different parts of Diyarbakır, including the Silvan area, as Türkiye seeks to identify new domestic hydrocarbon resources.
Diyarbakır becomes a new focus after Gabar
The new initiative follows Türkiye's significant increase in domestic oil production from the Gabar fields in the southeastern province of Şırnak.
According to figures released by the Energy Ministry, daily oil production at Gabar has exceeded 81,000 barrels, establishing the region as one of Türkiye's most important onshore oil production centers.
If the Diyarbakır shale oil project proves commercially viable, it could add another major source of domestic crude production and contribute to Türkiye's broader strategy of reducing its dependence on imported energy.
However, the total amount of commercially recoverable reserves in Diyarbakır has not yet been established. Claims circulating on social media that the project could “double or triple the Gabar reserves” should therefore not be treated as confirmed reserve estimates at this stage.
Results from the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations planned for 2026 are expected to provide critical data on the true scale of Diyarbakır's shale oil potential and whether it can be developed into large-scale commercial production.
