Turkey's energy imports fell by 28.2 percent in 2016 compared to 2015, Anadolu Agency reported citing TurkStat data.

The data showed that Turkey's overall imports in 2016 amounted to $198.6 billion in comparison to $207.23 billion in 2015.

The country aims to increase the share of local resources such as coal and renewables in its energy mix and has recently speeded up steps towards this goal to decrease its energy import bill.

Therefore, the country's energy import bill decreased gradually. In 2015, with low oil prices, Turkey’s energy import bill totaled $37.8 billion, compared to $54.9 in 2014 and $55.91 in 2013.

Turkey, as an import-dependent country for energy, imports over 90 percent of its crude oil needs.

In the Turkish Development Ministry's recently released mid-term program for 2017-2019, Turkey's energy imports are predicted to further decrease.

Crude oil imports saw a decrease last year compared to 2015. Crude oil imports in 2016 realized 24.95 million tonnes as opposed to 25.06 million for 2015, showing a 0.4 percent decline.