Russia’s Gas Giant Gazprom Reaches Turkey For Second Time

Russian’s energy giant Gazprom has laid over 700 kilometers (435 miles) of pipe since May that will form the twin TurkStream offshore gas pipeline, designed to carry around 31.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas annually.

"To date, more than 700 km, or about 38 percent of the pipeline's offshore section, have been laid," the company's Chief Executive Officer Alexei Miller said, according to Russia’s RIA news agency.

Each of the pipelines will measure a length of 910 km (566 mi), extending from Anapa on Russia’s Black Sea coast and traverse to Kiyikoy in Turkey. Gas will be supplied to Turkish customers through the pipeline stretching along the European part of Turkey near Kiyikoy, while gas will move further westward to Europe near the border crossing at Ipsala, a city straddling the border between Turkey and Greece.

The importance of TurkStream increases proportionally to Europe’s ever-increasing energy demands. Currently the continent imports over 50 percent of the energy required to meet its demand, making partnerships with countries outside the continent vital to its economy and standards of living.

"In the countries of this region, the growth rates are really impressive," Miller said.

TurkStream became a replacement for another gas project known as South Stream, which would have transported Russian gas to Europe via Bulgaria. In 2014, South Stream was shut down due to obstacles from the European Union and Bulgaria, the annexation of Crimea by Russia and subsequent EU sanctions.

Gazprom, the world’s largest gas producer, boosted its gas production by 12.4 percent to 472 bcm, and exports to Europe by 8.1 percent, or to 193.6 bcm, in 2017.

By March, enough of TurkStream is expected to be completed to start supplying Turkey, while pipeline westward will be completed sometime in 2019. TurkStream is Gazprom’s second project in Turkey; the Blue Stream pipeline was completed in 2002, and delivers about 16 bcm per year of gas to north-central Turkey.