Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to show Europe that he can complete the Gazprom-backed Turkish Stream pipeline before the EU wraps up the Southern Gas Corridor, an Ex-CEO of Turkey’s Botas told New Europe.
“Mr Putin is very pragmatic man and he has Gazprom in his hand to do the projects,” said Gokhan Yardim, who headed Turkey’s state pipeline operator when Blue Stream was constructed from Russia to Turkey. “After coming agreement with [Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip] Erdogan he didn’t see any problem to build the first line. Because two ships are in Black Sea, line pipes are there. He wants to show Europe that if he wants to do he can before TANAP and TAP,” he added, referring to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline, comprising of the Southern Gas Corridor that the EU hopes will reduce reliance on Russian gas.
The first section of Turkish Stream will be laid by Italy’s Saipem under the contract concluded for the construction of the now-scrapped South Stream project, which was to have linked Russia with Central Europe via the Black Sea and the Balkans.
Gazprom said recently it will begin construction of Turkish Stream pipeline in June. But Yardim noted there was no announcement that any intergovernmental agreement (IGA) was signed. He added that Moscow and Ankara have simply signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2014 that Turkey, Gazprom’s second biggest customer in the region after Germany, will buy “that gas by shifting existing 14 billion cubic metres from the western line (Ukraine, Moldova, Romania Bulgarian line) contract to Turkish Stream, including Private companies Contract”.
According to Gazprom, the new pipeline will deliver 14 billion cubic metres per year to the Turkish market and another 49 billion cubic metres per year to Europe via a new hub on the Turkish-Greek border.
From there, the so-called Tesla pipeline would move gas further across the territory of Greece to the former Yugoslavian Republic ofMacedonia(FYROM), Serbia, Hungary and Austria.
Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras have discussed the construction of the so-called Greek Stream pipeline across Greek territory.
But Yardim noted that recent violence in FYROM may upset plans to build the pipeline across the Balkan state. “Considering Greek Stream and onto Europe you know Macedonia is mixed suddenly. It may affect the Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Austrian route definitely,” he said.
He said Greece may try to revive the Interconnector Turkey Greece Italy (ITGI) to transport Russian gas to Italy.
Yardim said that the first Turkish Stream line will supply Turkey with 14 billion cubic metres of gas from the existing contract with some additional 2-3 billion cubic metres after 2019. “It’s good for Turkey,” he said.
He also noted that after building the first Turkish Stream line, the “existing Bulgaria Turkey line will be empty and it can be used for reverse flow to Bulgaria and it may be transported to Greece by [Bulgaria-Greece Interconnector] BGI with limited capacity”.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/botas-ex-ceo-says-putins-turkish-stream-will-beat-eus-pipeline/