Türkiye will push for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to play a bigger role in giving the world’s poorest households access to clean cooking fuel, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in Istanbul on Oct. 14.
Speaking at the opening of Liquid Gas Week, organized by the World LPG Association at the Istanbul Congress Center, Bayraktar said Türkiye planned to bring the issue to the global agenda at the COP31 United Nations climate conference, which the country hosts in Antalya in November.
About 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to clean cooking, he said, pointing to communities in parts of Africa that rely on traditional fuels. Where electricity and natural gas networks are limited, LPG can offer a practical and cleaner option, he argued.
One of the world’s biggest autogas markets
Bayraktar described Türkiye as home to one of the world’s largest and most developed LPG markets. The country ranked second in Europe for total LPG consumption last year, he said, and is the world’s second-largest consumer of autogas, the LPG used as a vehicle fuel.
Türkiye also ranks first globally by number of autogas stations and LPG-powered vehicles, according to the minister, with about 10,000 stations and 5.2 million vehicles running on the fuel.
Autogas has long been popular with Turkish drivers because it is cheaper per kilometer than petrol, and many cars are converted after purchase. Foreign visitors renting cars or taking taxis in the country will often see dual-fuel pumps marked "LPG" at filling stations.
Supply security in focus
The minister said LPG is often overshadowed by oil and natural gas, but its flexibility, portability and accessibility make it valuable during supply disruptions. The comments come as energy markets remain volatile, with Brent crude trading above $100 a barrel this week amid tensions in the Middle East.
Türkiye imports most of the oil and gas it consumes, which makes energy prices a key driver of its inflation and current account balance.
Bayraktar set out three priorities for the global LPG industry: diversifying supply sources and strengthening infrastructure and supply chains; extending safe and affordable access to communities without clean cooking or modern energy; and improving efficiency and safety standards while investing in innovation and sustainability.
He said Türkiye was ready to cooperate in all three areas, adding that climate action should go hand in hand with energy access and economic development.
Sources
- Türkiye’den LPG önerisi (Bigpara/Hürriyet)
- Bakan Bayraktar: Türkiye, dünyanın en büyük ve en gelişmiş LPG pazarlarından birine sahip (Anadolu Ajansı)
- Ekonomi ve siyaset gündemi – 14 Ekim 2026 (Bloomberg HT)
Photo: CeeGee / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
