Fears of gas shortages rising in Turkey
Concerns are growing in Turkey that the country may face shortages of natural gas if an ambitious project for making imports from Russia through the Turkish Stream pipeline is not materialized.
Ali Şen, the chairman of Bosphorus Gaz which is a key importer of gas from Russia, was quoted by the media as saying that Ankara should implement Gazprom’s Turkish Stream pipeline as soon as possible, or face problems with natural gas supplies after 2019.
Şen further warned that the Russia-Ukraine gas transit contract – through which Turkey gets 14 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year – expires in 2019 and may not be renewed.
“The Turkish Stream project must accelerate. According to the existing contract, gas flowing into Turkey through the Western Line [through Ukraine] will be cut on January 1, 2019. We will have gas shortages if we don’t start working on alternatives now. We don’t have any more patience for more delays,” Şen told Anadolu Agency in a report that was also carried by Russia Today.
The Turkish Stream pipeline is meant to deliver gas from the Russian Black Sea coast to Turkey and on to Greece, the report added.
The project was shelved in 2015 after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in Syria, but the recent rapprochement between Moscow and Ankara has given the pipeline new life. The capacity is 32 bcm, of which Turkey would take about 14 bcm, with the rest going to Europe.
Russia is Turkey’s biggest natural gas supplier, selling 28-30 bcm annually for about $6.5 billion. Bosphorus Gaz buys about 3 bcm from Russia.
Besides the route through Ukraine, Turkey pumps up to 16 bcm of Russian gas through Blue Stream, another Black Sea pipeline.
If the Russia-Ukraine gas transit contract is not extended, the Turkish Stream pipeline not built, and if there are technical issues with Blue Stream, Turkey will face a gas shortage, the report added.
“In the Blue Stream project, pipes sometimes run for more than 2,000 meters under the Black Sea. It would also be a serious problem for gas supply if there was a technical issue. This is another reason why we should start working on Turkish Stream right away,” Şen said.
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