ANKARA
The Turkish government has given permission to conduct engineering surveys for the offshore part of Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline project, the Russian natural gas company, Gazprom, announced Monday in a written statement.
"This document envisages engineering surveys for the first line of the project in the Turkish Exclusive Economic Zone and within Turkey’s territorial waters," Gazprom said in the statement.
Turkey received the coordinates for the planned Turkish Stream pipeline's route on June 15, and ensured that the project was not in any territorial conflict with the economic zone of its neighbor, Bulgaria, in the western Black Sea.
The proposed Turkish Stream pipeline project plans to carry Russian natural gas under the Black Sea to Turkey's northwestern Thrace region to reach Greece and further go into Europe.
The offshore part of the Turkish Stream will consist of four pipelines, each with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters.
The pipelines are planned to pass 660 kilometers through the old South Stream route under the Black Sea, and move 250 kilometers towards a new route to reach Turkey's Thrace region.
Gazprom noted that gas supplies via the first leg will be entirely destined for the growing Turkish gas market, which is estimated to cost €3.3 billion ($3.73 billion).
The Turkish Stream plans to have a total capacity to carry 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. It will deliver 47 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, while the remaining amount will be allocated for Turkey's domestic use.
