- Turkey | 4 March 2018
What is the progress of the MTA in achieving its drilling target for 2018?
We have completed 1.3 million meters of drilling studies for metallic mines, industrial raw materials, and energy raw materials, and we aim to reach 1.6 million meters by the end of the year. Our target for 2018 is to conduct 2 million meters of drilling studies.
How significant is coal exploration to the MTA?
The MTA considers coal exploration as a strategic priority and allocates between 30% and 35% of its annual drilling target to coal exploration. The exploration of coal and other minerals has led to the discovery of new mines, which has increased the total coal reserve in the country. Overall, the MTA allocates 30% to 35% of its drilling target to coal exploration, 40% to 45% to metallic mines, 10% to 15% to industrial raw materials, 5% to rare earth minerals, 8% to radioactive mines, and 2% to geothermal resources.
What are some of the technical challenges the MTA faces in drilling below 600 meters in Turkey?
Most mineral deposits with outcrops have already been discovered in Turkey, so the MTA focuses on exploring deep mineral deposits with limited surface data. The drilling depth capacity for geothermal is 3,500 meters, while for metallic mines, it is 2,200 meters. Although drilling sometimes presents difficulties due to field conditions or technical problems, the MTA overcomes these challenges with its professional staff and external services. The private sector has also increased its drilling depth capacity. The MTA aims to increase the average total depth of drilling studies to 700 meters and eventually to 1,000 meters with its new studies.
What are the MTA’s core goals for the next five years?
The MTA aims to continue exploring domestic resources and to provide added value to the economy by conducting exploration activities abroad. Revealing new metallic, industrial, and energy raw material deposits in the country and abroad is one of the MTA’s primary objectives. The MTA also aims to create new projects for the next five-year period with the aim of exploring raw materials that can support the development of high technologies, as energy resources and high technology systems are the main factors for the sustainable development of countries.
