Gazprom Completes Construction of Turkish Stream Shelf

Gazprom has announced the completion of construction of the first section of the sea part of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

"Near the Black Sea coast of Turkey, the deep-sea laying of the sea section of the first line of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline was completed," the Russian gas holding said.

It is also reported that the construction of the first line will be completed after the construction of a coastal terminal in the vicinity of the Turkish village of Kiyykey.

“In Turkey, a receiving terminal is being constructed near Kiyykey village. With the completion of the construction of the shore junction sections, the work on the first line will be fully completed,” Gazprom noted.

Work on the deep-water area of the first shelf was carried out by the vessel Pioneering Spirit of Allseas, which will continue to lay the deep-water part of the second thread of the Turkish Stream in the second half of this year.

“The implementation of the Turkish Stream project continues successfully,” said Head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller. “An important stage has been reached - the first line of the gas pipeline was built. The rate of construction is high. Since May 7, 2017, when the pipelaying campaign began, in total two 1161 kilometers of the offshore gas pipeline have been built in two strings, which is 62% of its total length. The ‘Turkish flow’ will undoubtedly play a big role in strengthening the energy security of Turkey and Europe.”

It is expected that the gas main will consist of two lines of 15.75 billion cubic meters each. The first string will supply "blue fuel" to consumers in Turkey. According to the plans, it should be put into operation in 2018. The second line is intended for the supply of Russian gas to the countries of south and south-eastern Europe, to be put into operation in 2019.

By Dimitri Dolaberidze