Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he has agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the creation of a “gas hub” in Turkey, according to Russian state media, cited by The Guardian.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir PutinPhoto: Vyacheslav Prokofiev / Sputnik / Profimedia

Addressing members of his Justice and Development Party in parliament, Erdogan quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that Europe could get its gas from a Turkish hub as Russian supplies to Europe were halted due to sanctions and leaks affecting the Nord Stream pipeline. .

The two leaders discussed the creation of a gas hub during a face-to-face meeting last week in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

The main directions of such a project are currently unknown. But it seems that it is about the development of gas infrastructure in Thrace, in the European part of Turkey, northwest of Istanbul, writes Les Echos.

The TurkStream gas pipeline, opened in 2020, reaches this region, to Kiykoy. This double pipe on the bottom of the Black Sea allows Russia to export about 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Turkey and then to the Balkans, Rador cites.

Gas pipeline along the bottom of the Black Sea

Russia has been exporting gas to Turkey for about 20 years through BlueStream, another gas pipeline under the Black Sea, with an annual capacity of 16 billion cubic meters. However, the construction of new infrastructure seems difficult to achieve in the current context, writes researcher Ali Arif Akturk:

“Companies capable of building such a gas pipeline do not risk participating in such a project given the sanctions against Russia.” This expert also has serious doubts about the financing of the gas hub in Thrace.

Turkey, which consumed 60 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021, is 45% dependent on Russia for supplies. According to Bloomberg, Ankara is trying to negotiate with Gazprom to postpone the payment of part of its imports in the context of the economic crisis and the falling rate of the Turkish lira.

Turkey is not interested in Russian gas

Turkey also wants to produce itself. It began to develop the first natural gas field in the Black Sea 170 km from the coast.

It is expected to start with ten million cubic meters in the first quarter of 2023, and to reach peak production in 2026.

Turkey has also been exploring for several years in the eastern Mediterranean, where appetites have increased following the discovery of numerous fields off the coast of Egypt, Lebanon and Israel. The desire to establish itself in these waters forced Turkey to enter into a conflict with Greece and Cyprus regarding the delimitation of their maritime borders.

At the beginning of October, Turkey signed an agreement with the Lebanese authorities on the exploration of hydrocarbons in a huge area in the south of Crete.

Ankara wants to take advantage of its geographical position to become an important intermediary in the hydrocarbon sector in the region. Turkey, for example, wants to build an underwater gas pipeline between Israel and its coast. The project is blocked today due to Israel’s lack of interest in this file.

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi also reported on his Twitter about the conversation with the Turkish leader.

Zelensky noted that he thanked Erdogan for Turkey’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as its “special role” in Black Sea grain exports and “security cooperation.” (News.ro)

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