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Russia’s Gazprom raises capacity of Blue Stream gas pipeline

At talks between Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz the sides reached an agreement to raise the capacity of the Blue Stream pipeline to 19 billion cubic meters

 {article_photo:728996:'Gazprom and Turkey plan to increase the Blue Stream’s annual capacity':'right':'50'}MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Russian energy giant Gazprom is increasing the capacity of the Blue Stream pipeline, which brings in Russian gas via the Black Sea to Turkey, by 3 billion cubic meters to 19 billion cubic meters annually, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Russian company said the agreement on raising the pipeline’s capacity was reached at the working meeting between Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz in Moscow earlier in the day.

“At the meeting the sides reached an agreement to boost the capacity of the Blue Stream from 16 billion cubic meters to 19 billion cubic meters per year and carrying out all the necessary works for this aim,” the company said.

The plans envisage the modernization of the Russian Beregovaya compressor station, operated by Gazprom, and the Durusu Terminal in Turkey, the statement says.

Russian gas supplies to Turkey

The sides have agreed to give the full load to the Blue Stream pipeline with the Russian gas to meet the growing needs of the Turkish consumers.

“Turkey is our most dynamically developing market in regard to supplies. Gazprom has always reacted to the growing demand for gas in Turkey by increasing supplies through the Blue Stream,” Miller said.

“Today’s decision will allow the Turkish economy to progress to new stages,” the Gazprom CEO said.

This year, Russian gas supplies to Turkey hit historic levels, reaching 30 billion cubic meters compared with 26.6 billion cubic meters in 2013.

The Blue Stream gas pipeline, launched in December 2002, with the total length of 1,213 kilometers (754 miles), carries gas from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea.

Turkey is the second largest Russian gas importing country after Germany. Last year, 26.61 billion cubic meters of gas were delivered to Turkey on two routes, particularly by land and Blue Stream.