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Seckin Kara: MET Turkey shapes the local energy industry
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Seckin Kara: MET Turkey shapes the local energy industry

May 4, 2021
MET Turkey CEO Seckin Kara has been elected Vice Chairman of PETFORM (Petroleum and Natural Gas Platform Association). PETFORM is the most prominent Turkish energy sector association, having nearly all gas and oil companies as members.

Before this role, Seckin served as the Association’s board member since July 2019, with directors from 6 of the Top 10 Turkish energy companies. Board members are elected by PETFORM members annually.

What is the main benefit of being elected Vice Chairman in the Board of Directors of PETFORM?

The Vice Chairman plays an important role in PETFORM’s activities. The Chairman together with the Vice Chairman coordinate the initial design of PETFORM’s lobbying strategy for the next 3 to 6 months. This is then reviewed together with the Board and if agreed, the final draft is shared with all members for ratification.

PETFORM’s strategy is taken very seriously by the Ministry of Energy and the Energy Regulation Agency. Therefore, this position helps MET to push its liberalisation agenda for Turkey which would enable Turkey to complete its integration with Balkan markets.

What is the achievement that you are most proud of in the Turkish market?

The Top 10 gas trading players in Turkey have been active in the market for at least 10 years. These players are also active in multiple verticals such as power retail and downstream retail (gas stations), allowing them to hold strong brand awareness among customers. Although MET did not have any historic presence or brand awareness in Turkey, we managed to build a gas portfolio in a few years and become the 6th largest gas retail seller in 2020.

Why is Turkey important for MET Group?

The Turkish market has a strategic importance for MET Group. The East Balkan gas market together with Turkey is the last gas region which has not completed its journey to become a regional gas hub and become integrated.

MET has a unique position as one of the very few companies having gas positions and customers in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. MET follows regulatory developments very closely and is in a very strong to position to leverage its cross-border positions and benefit from the synergy as soon as the Balkan and Turkish markets become fully integrated with each other. MET Group also booked long term capacities in the Turk Stream/Balkan Stream pipelines which will also interconnect the regions where MET is an active player along the entire route (Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary).