Construction Starts on TurkStream Receiving Terminal

South Stream Transport officially started construction of the receiving terminal of the TurkStream Offshore Gas Pipeline on Wednesday. TurkStream is a new export gas pipeline stretching from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea. The first string of the pipeline is intended for Turkish consumers, while the second string will deliver gas to southern and southeastern Europe.

With the start of the onshore construction in Turkey, the project is now being implemented in three construction areas: onshore Russia, onshore Turkey and offshore in the Black Sea.

Preparatory works have been underway for some time. Since 2015, surveys have been conducted to identify the best location for the facility. The results have been incorporated in the Environmental Impact Assessment, which was approved by Turkish authorities in September 2017. The contract for the construction of the terminal was awarded to Petrofac in September 2017. Petrofac is currently mobilizing and has contracted Tekfen, one of Turkish leading construction companies, as its main subcontractor.

The works involve the preparation of the area in the Turkish Thrace region, near the town of Kiyiköy. 

Construction of the landfall facilities on the Russian side of the Black Sea, near the city of Anapa, is in the final stages and expected to be completed in 2018.

The Allseas vessel Pioneering Spirit is working on the two offshore pipelines. The first line is currently being laid all the way up to the Turkish shore. TurkStream’s offshore section will run over 900 kilometers (560 miles), with an onshore string for gas transit to be laid up to Turkey’s border with neighboring countries. TurkStream will be the first 32-inch sized system to be laid at depths of over two kilometers (6,500 feet).

Turkey is one of the largest consumers of Russian gas. At present, Russia supplies gas to Turkey via the Blue Stream and Trans-Balkan gas pipelines.