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Gazprom resumes construction of second line of Turkish Stream pipeline

To date 1,161 km of pipes have been laid, which is 62% of the pipeline’s length

MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Russia’s state-run gas giant Gazprom has resumed the laying of the second line of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline on Tuesday, the project’s operator reported.

On Tuesday, the Pioneering Spirit vessel resumed the laying of the second line of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, moving towards the city of Kiyykoy in Turkey, the project’s operator said.

After entering the Black Sea on June 20, Pioneering Spirit completed the preparatory work, including launching the stinger and inspecting the pipe laying equipment.

In April, the construction of the first line of the sea part of the pipeline was completed. To date 1,161 km of pipes have been laid, which is 62% of the pipeline’s length.

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In late May, Gazprom and Turkey’s Botas signed a protocol on a land-based part of the transit leg of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, due to supply Russian gas to European customers.

In addition to the protocol, Gazprom and Botas inked an agreement on conditions and parameters for the section construction, which would enable the sides to take practical steps in the project. The TurkAkim Gaz Tasima A. S. joint venture will be set up to build the land-based part of the pipeline.

Earlier, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom Vitaly Markelov said that the company was negotiating the route of the second line of the Turkish Stream in Turkey. Deputy CEO of Gazprom Alexander Medvedev said that in the very near future the company will definitively determine the route of the second line of the Turkish Stream for gas supplies to the countries of South and South-Eastern Europe. According to him, now two main options are being discussed in accordance with the procedures in the European Union and the European Commission. As potential markets, he named Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.

Sea section

In May 2017, Gazprom began construction of the offshore section of the Turkish Stream near the Russian Black Sea coast. The project involved construction of the gas pipeline through the Black Sea to the European part of Turkey and further to the border with Greece. The length of the sea part of the pipe is expected at around 930 km, the overland part on the Turkish territory - 180 km.

The first line will be intended for the Turkish market, the second - for gas supply to the countries of South and South-Eastern Europe. The capacity of each line reaches 15.75 bln cubic meters of gas per year.

The first gas supplies are planned for the end of 2019. Construction of a sea section of the gas pipeline is carried out by South Stream Transport B.V. (100% subsidiary of Gazprom).

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