TurkStream Gas Pipeline Coming Along, Thanks To Russia’s Gazprom

Russia’s energy giant Gazprom has already completed the construction of the first of two parallel strings of pipe that make up the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, which will extend deep and far into the waters of the Black Sea, eventually supplying more gas to Turkey and Europe.

“Today at the Black Sea coast of Turkey, the deep-water pipelay for Line 1 of the TurkStream offshore gas pipeline has been completed,” reads a statement that was published on Gazprom’s official website on April 30.

The twin TurkStream pipeline, with a throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters (bcm), will deliver natural gas pumped from Anapa on Russia’s Black Sea coast to Kiyikoy in Turkey, via the 910 km (566 mi) pipes. While the first string of the twin pipeline is destined for Turkey’s domestic consumption, the second string will deliver Russia’s natural gas to southern and southeastern Europe.

"In accordance with the schedule, the project is being simultaneously implemented on shore in Russia and Turkey and in the Black Sea,” the statement reads. The receiving terminal is being constructed near the Kiyikoy in Turkey. Upon completion of the landfall sections, the works on the first line will be completed."

The world’s largest construction vessel, named Pioneering Spirit and owned by the Swiss Allseas company, will continue the deep-water pipelay of Line 2 in the third quarter of 2018, according to Gazprom.

“Implementation of the TurkStream project carries forward successfully. We have reached an important milestone – the completion of Line 1,” said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom PJSC.

“Progress is moving at a high rate. Since 7 May 2017, when we started the pipelaying campaign, the total of 1,161 km of pipes has been laid, which is 62 percent of the overall gas pipeline length. Needless to say, TurkStream will play a significant role in strengthening energy security of Turkey and Europe,” Miller said.

The pipeline’s sole shareholder is the world’s largest gas producer, Gazprom, which estimates the cost of the entire TurkStream project to be $6 billion, according to Gazprom Deputy Chief Executive Andrei Kruglov.

The TurkStream gas pipeline will be the third gas project, after the Blue Stream and the Trans-Balkan gas pipelines, which delivers Russian natural gas to Turkey, Gazprom's second largest export market. The Transbalkan Corridor that supplies Russian gas through Ukraine will come to an end, once the TurkStream gas pipeline is constructed.

The TurkStream gas pipeline will be the third gas project, after the Blue Stream and the Trans-Balkan gas pipelines, which delivers Russian natural gas to Turkey, Gazprom's second largest export market. The Transbalkan Corridor that supplies Russian gas through Ukraine will come to an end, once the TurkStream gas pipeline is constructed.

TurkStream is not the first pipeline aimed to be built bypassing Ukraine. Earlier, Russia had to give up its South Stream project which was expected to transport Russian natural gas through Bulgaria to Europe. The project was abandoned because of lack of support from Europe and an energy crisis in Ukraine.

The TurkStream pipeline that commenced construction a year ago could become an important new source of energy for Europe with its ever-increasing energy demands.

“Implementation of the project is on schedule and our Turkish and European customers will from the end of 2019 have a reliable new route for importing Russian gas,” said Miller.