TPAO has now become a partner in the exploration activities operated by Shell under the Khan Tervel field oil and natural gas exploration licence, the ministry said in a press release.
In this field, TPAO will have a five-year licence for seismic activity in partnership with Shell and then, hopefully, an exploration well here next year, Turkey's energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
In 2024, Bulgaria selected Dutch-based Shell Exploration and Production, part of Shell, to explore for oil and natural gas in offshore Block 1-26 Khan Tervel. Last April, the country signed a contract with Shell Exploration and Production for oil and gas prospecting and exploration in the block.
Block 1-26 Khan Tervel covers an area of slightly more than 4,000 square kilometres and is located south of Bulgaria's Block 1-21 Han Asparuh, Bulgaria's energy ministry said said previously. Earlier this month, Israel's NewMed Energy, one of the holders of the exploration licence for the Khan Asparuh offshore block, said that the drilling of the Vinekh prospect in the block has shown non-significant natural gas reserves in the target formations.
State-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) acquired 10% of the rights and obligations under the permit for oil and natural gas exploration in the Khan Asparuh offshore block of the Black Sea in January.
(SeeNews, February 18, 2026)