Deep Water Pipe-Laying of TurkStream Gas Pipeline Commenced
Gazprom has started with laying the TurkStream gas pipeline in the deep water area off the coast of Anapa. The operations were launched with the command given by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to AllSeas’ Pioneering Spirit. Mr Putin and Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, explored the machinery and equipment of the vessel, including its gas pipeline construction facility used for welding and applying protective coatings to pipes.
Mr Miller: “Pioneering Spirit will have an important task to solve, namely to build the deep-water section of the TurkStream gas pipeline. TurkStream will substantially increase energy security in the region. For Turkey, natural gas is the key energy source and natural gas is of equal importance to southern and southeastern Europe. The declining indigenous gas production and the necessity to reduce coal’s share in electricity generation across the Balkan countries create the potential for sustainable growth in natural gas demand in that part of Europe.”
TurkStream is the project for a transit-free export gas pipeline stretching across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and further to Turkey’s border with neighboring countries. The first string of the gas pipeline is intended for Turkish consumers, while the second string will deliver gas to southern and southeastern Europe. Each string will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. On 10 October 2016, Russia and Turkey signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the TurkStream project. South Stream Transport, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, is responsible for the construction of the gas pipeline’s offshore section. On 7 May 2017, AllSeas’ Audacia vessel started the construction of the TurkStream gas pipeline near the Russian coast.