According to the reports of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA), both the number of subscribers and eligible consumers increased in Turkey last year.
Accordingly, the number of residential subscribers increased by 6.1 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, reaching 18 million 982 thousand 872.
In the relevant period, a total of 1 million 97 thousand 122 new houses were connected to the natural gas network throughout Turkey.
Istanbul ranked first in the number of new subscribers
Considering the number of city-based subscribers, Istanbul ranked first with 113 thousand 130 new subscribers.
When we look at the top ten cities in the increase in subscriber numbers, we see Istanbul with 74 thousand 79 new subscribers, İzmir with 41 thousand 686 subscribers, Ankara with 40 thousand 535, Konya with 40 thousand 77 subscribers, Gaziantep with 35 thousand 736, Tekirdağ with 34 thousand 434, 32 thousand. Kocaeli with 979, Antalya with 30 thousand 986, Balikesir with 28 thousand 503, and Aydın with 27 thousand 824.
The number of eligible consumers in natural gas increased by nearly 60 thousand
On the other hand, the number of eligible consumers increased by 8.7 percent compared to the previous year and reached 726 thousand 29 in 2022.
In the relevant period, 58,076 new eligible consumers were added to the natural gas network. In this context, the highest number of new eligible consumers was recorded in Istanbul with 8,464.
After Istanbul, the highest number of free consumers is Bitlis with 3 thousand 132, Konya with 3 thousand 83, Bingol with 2 thousand 984, Ankara with 2 thousand 951, Muş with 2 thousand 921, Çorum with 1334, Kayseri with 1314, Bursa with 1243, It was recorded in Gaziantep with 1235 and Tekirdağ with 1096.
The highest natural gas subscriber purchase was in November
Yaşar Arslan, Chairman of the Turkish Natural Gas Distributors Association (GAZBIR), in his assessment of the increase in the total number of natural gas subscribers in 2022, said, “The number of subscribers is higher in September-November, when city changes are intense and before the winter period. The month of high natural gas subscriber purchase was November with 171 thousand new natural gas subscribers. used the phrases.
Referring to the population reached by natural gas distribution companies, Arslan said, “As of the end of 2022, the population reached by investments made by distribution companies has reached 70.2 million. As of today, 82 percent of Turkey’s population has access to natural gas.” said.
“In 2-3 years, we will be the second country with the most natural gas subscribers in Europe”
Arslan stated that while the population using active natural gas was 57.1 million in 2021, it increased to 60.7 million in 2022, and with the number of active users reaching 71.5 million by the end of 2026, Turkey and Italy are the two most active users of natural gas in Europe. He said he would be someone from his country.
Making statements about the increase in the number of natural gas subscribers and his predictions for the future, Arslan said, “As of the end of 2022, Turkey is the 3rd country with the highest number of natural gas subscribers in Europe with 19.7 million natural gas subscribers. I predict that we will be the second country with the most natural gas subscribers in Europe, surpassing Germany within the year. said.
