By News Centre
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar attended the opening ceremony of Liquid Gas Week, organized by the World Liquid Gas Association (WLGA) in Istanbul from October 12 to 16. Türkiye is hosting the international event for the first time this year.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Istanbul Congress Center, Bayraktar emphasized that energy security is a fundamental national security priority. He thanked the World Liquid Gas Association for bringing the global liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) community together in Türkiye for the first time, describing the gathering as an important opportunity to discuss the future of an industry that serves millions of households, businesses and vehicles worldwide.
“We are living in an extraordinary period and facing unprecedented challenges and uncertainties on the global energy stage. Over the past several years, we have experienced one crisis after another: the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, trade wars, geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts,” Bayraktar said.
Recalling his recent visit to Riyadh to attend the World Petroleum Congress, the minister described the security challenges facing the global energy industry. He noted that the airport had come under a missile attack just hours before his aircraft landed, two days earlier on Monday.
“I hope this does not become our new normal. However, we must acknowledge that we may be entering an era characterized by constant crises and uncertainty. As the energy sector, we must learn how to adapt to these new realities,” he said.
Bayraktar said energy security was a fundamental national security priority, stressing that providing citizens with reliable and affordable energy was becoming increasingly challenging at a time when the global economy was undergoing a major energy transformation.
Overcoming these challenges, he argued, required resilient energy systems and realistic, flexible and balanced policies that took the differing needs of individual markets into account. Diversification, he added, had to remain at the heart of such policies.
Bayraktar said Türkiye’s experience clearly demonstrated the value of LPG, emphasizing that countries could no longer afford to depend on a single energy source, supplier, technology or transportation route.
“This is precisely where LPG deserves greater attention. In global energy discussions, LPG sometimes remains in the shadow of its ‘older siblings,’ oil and natural gas. However, its contribution to energy security should never be underestimated,” he said.
According to the minister, LPG offers millions of consumers an important alternative, particularly during periods of supply disruption, thanks to its flexibility, portability and accessibility.
He explained that LPG had played a vital role in Türkiye’s energy market for decades, ranging from providing modern cooking solutions to households to transforming the country's transportation sector through autogas.
Bayraktar said Türkiye now had one of the largest and most developed LPG markets in the world, highlighting the country's position in European and global consumption.
“As of last year, we ranked second in Europe in total LPG consumption. We are also the world's second-largest consumer of autogas and rank first in terms of the number of autogas stations and LPG-powered vehicles,” he said.
Türkiye has approximately 10,000 autogas stations and 5.2 million LPG-powered vehicles, according to Bayraktar. These vehicles account for around 30% of the country's registered vehicle fleet.
The minister said these figures reflected the maturity of Türkiye’s LPG market and the strength of its supporting infrastructure. He also expressed pride in Turkish LPG companies, many of which have successfully expanded internationally, bringing their experience and expertise to new markets.
However, Bayraktar emphasized that the significance of LPG extended beyond market size, economies of scale and commercial success. He described the fuel as an important instrument for addressing global energy-access challenges.
One of the most important issues highlighted by Bayraktar was access to clean cooking. Despite decades of technological progress and development, approximately two billion people worldwide still lack access to clean cooking solutions, he said.
These communities continue to rely on traditional fuels and cooking methods that create serious health and environmental problems, according to the minister.
“This is more than an energy issue. It is also a public health, economic development and environmental challenge. As long as billions of people lack access to basic modern energy services, we cannot speak of an inclusive energy transition. This is precisely where LPG can make a real difference,” Bayraktar said.
He explained that although Türkiye had developed an extensive natural gas distribution network, many countries still lacked comparable infrastructure.
In communities where electricity and natural gas infrastructure remained limited, LPG could provide a practical and relatively cleaner alternative to traditional cooking fuels, he said.
Bayraktar noted that Türkiye had already experienced this transition and believed its experience could offer valuable lessons to other countries seeking to expand access to modern energy services.
He stressed that expanding clean cooking solutions required affordable supplies, safe equipment, reliable distribution networks and cooperation among governments, industry representatives and international institutions.
The minister also identified clean cooking as one of the key issues Türkiye intended to bring to the global agenda at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled to take place in Antalya in November.
“We believe climate action must go hand in hand with energy access and economic development,” he said.
Bayraktar added that LPG continued to offer significant benefits beyond clean cooking, including applications in transportation, heating and industry.
Its portability and relatively limited infrastructure requirements also made LPG particularly valuable during natural disasters and emergencies, he explained. While Türkiye had established a comprehensive natural gas distribution network, many countries still lacked similar infrastructure, making LPG an immediate and practical energy solution for those markets.
Looking ahead, Bayraktar said the future of energy would depend on a combination of fuels and technologies capable of meeting the diverse needs and circumstances of different countries.
He outlined three key priorities for the global LPG industry.
The first is to strengthen supply-chain resilience through diversified sources, reliable infrastructure and closer international cooperation.
The second is to expand safe and affordable access to LPG, particularly for communities that lack clean cooking solutions and modern energy infrastructure.
The third is to invest in innovation and sustainability to improve efficiency, strengthen safety standards and develop reliable low-carbon solutions.
Bayraktar said Türkiye was ready to work with international partners to advance these priorities, adding that Liquid Gas Week provided an excellent platform for establishing new partnerships and turning shared objectives into tangible results.
Concluding his address, the minister reiterated that the global energy landscape would require a diverse combination of fuels and technologies rather than reliance on a single option.
“The future of energy will not depend on a single fuel or technology. It will require a combination of solutions that respond to the different needs and circumstances of countries. And LPG will continue to occupy an important place in this constantly evolving energy landscape,” Bayraktar said.