The event was attended by Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of the Turkish Republic, Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, Boyko Borissov, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Alexander Novak, the Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Fatih Dönmez, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Turkish Republic, and Alexei Miller, the Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom PJSC. Dr. Oleg Aksyutin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee — Head of Department of Gazprom PJSC and Burhan Özcan, General Manager and Chairman of the Board of BOTAŞ, participated in the ceremony via satellite connection.
TurkStream stretches across the Black Sea to unite the gas transportation grids of Russia and Turkey. The TurkStream Pipeline consists of two lines with a total capacity of 31.5 bcm. The first line of the gas pipeline is intended for gas supplies to Turkey, while the second line will deliver gas to Southern and Southeastern Europe through the Turkish territory.
Offshore pipeline installation took 15 months and was finished in November 2018 ahead of schedule. In 2019, the Receiving Terminal near the Turkish town of Kiyikoy was completed.
The entry point to deliver gas via the TurkStream Pipeline is the Russkaya Compressor Station near the Russian town of Anapa, which is a part of the Unified Gas Supply System in Russia. The Compressor Station has the capacity of 224 MW and ensures the necessary pressure to transport gas via two gas pipelines to the Receiving Terminal over the distance of approximately 930 km up to the Turkish coast.
TurkStream is a unique project. For the first time ever, the pipes with a diameter of 813 mm have been laid at the depth of 2,200 m.
At all phases of the implementation of the TurkStream Project, including the operations phase, high safety standards have been maintained including environmental safety among others. The ecology is continuously monitored.
“The launch of TurkStream is truly a historical event. First, in addition to the existing Blue Stream export capacity, we pave the way for direct, transit-free supplies of Gazprom gas needed in Turkey. Second, Europe has secured a new and reliable route for pipeline supplies of Russian gas. Undoubtedly, it brings our collaboration with the Turkish and European partners to a new level and increases the energy security in the region,” Alexei Miller said.
