Ankara hosted, on January 27, aworking meeting betweenAlexey Miller, Chairman ofthe Gazprom Management Committee andTaner Yildiz, Turkish Minister ofEnergy and Natural Resources. The parties discussed the main issues ofconstructing anew gas pipeline across the Black Sea towards Turkey.
The meeting considered the preliminary feasibility study onthe new gas pipeline and approved its new route. The four strings will have anaggregate capacity of63billion cubic meters ayear. 660 kilometers ofthe pipeline’s route will belaid within the old corridor ofSouth Streamand 250 kilometers–within anew corridor towards theEuropean part ofTurkey.
Already onJanuary 28Gazprom will submit anotice requesting aconduct ofFEED operations for the new Turkish offshore section. Gazprom will besolely responsible for the construction ofthe offshore section. Turkish gas transportation facilities will bebuilt jointly. The project stakes will bedistributed inthe course ofthe future talks. Botas isapproved torepresent the Turkish party. Gazprom and Botas will develop the project schedule within 7days.
Alexey Miller noted: "The joint construction ofthe gas transportation facilities within such animportant project would create the strategic infrastructure partnership between Gazprom and Botas. The talks were friendly and constructive. Both parties are keen tohit the target. Our priorities–tostudy the route’s options inTurkey, todefine the location ofthe landfall facilities, gas delivery points for Turkish consumers and border crossings between Turkey and Greece. Weagreed toplan our work insuch away that would allow ustosign anIntergovernmental Agreement onthe gas pipeline inthe second quarter this year, therefore the first gas would come toTurkey inDecember 2016. Inthis respect, the first string’s throughput capacity of15.75 billion cubic meters will beexclusively intended for Turkish consumers. Considering the state ofreadiness ofthe Russkaya compressor station and the pipeline’s offshore section, this deadline isabsolutely real.”
