Wednesday, August 8, 2018

TurkStream's 2nd Leg to Become Operational by December 2019 – Turkish Minister - SPUTNIK NEWS


08.08.2018 15:21

ANKARA (Sputnik) - The second leg of the TurkStream gas pipeline is expected to be put into service by December 31, 2019, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said Wednesday, citing information provided by Russian energy giant Gazprom, which is involved in the construction project.

"The construction of the offshore portion of the first leg of TurkStream has been completed. Gazprom built it on its own. They covered a 930 kilometer [578 mile] route. Now, construction of the land portion is underway. Gazprom continues laying down the second leg of the offshore part [of the pipeline]. Gazprom has notified us of the date [it will become operational] — December 31, 2019," Donmez told A Haber TV Channel.

The TurkStream pipeline will have a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters (556 billion cubic feet) per year. One leg is expected to supply natural gas solely for Turkish consumption.

The second leg will transport gas to European countries through Turkey, and is scheduled for completion in 2019. Gazprom is considering options for extending the pipeline through Bulgaria and Serbia or through Greece and Italy.