TurkStream “Road Show” Brings the Project to the Public

A sleek, gargantuan white semi truck loaded with interactive displays sat at the far end of the exhibition space at the World Gas Conference in Paris, France. The mobile exhibition, demonstrating different aspects of the TurkStream (Turkish Stream ) project to deliver Russian gas to Turkey and eventually to markets further on at the Greek border, is to inform locals along the pipeline route about aspects of the project and give South Stream Transport B.V, the company in charge of the project, a chance to engage with those people.

“This is a real truck that will be going to Turkey later this year to inform people there about the project, particularly people who live close to the future landfall location – so where the offshore pipeline will come ashore in Kiyikoy,” explains Jasper Jansen, ‪Deputy Head of Communications & Spokesperson at South Stream Transport B.V.‬ “Of course for them it's most important to understand what this project is about and have a chance to interact with us.

“The project itself is a really large-scale project with a large impact, and it is of course important to inform people that live near the areas where it's built,” he opines.

TurkStream, he explains, will have a transport capacity of 63 bcm/year. “It will be the biggest offshore pipeline, in terms of capacity, ever built. That's enough gas and energy to supply energy for 38 million households every year, and for that entire region – southeast Europe and Turkey – it's an important contribution to their energy mix.”

The truck's appearance at WGC, he offers, is not so much to inform visitors about natural gas, but show how the company is engaging the public regarding the pipeline project. Displays within the truck show where natural gas comes from, the benefits of gas, and also details of the construction of TurkStream. By taking an iPad and holding it over a diorama, another display in the Turk Stream truck shows an alternative reality: how gas can be used for cars, or how a gas power plant might work, and how an onshore pipeline is constructed.

“We're using this 'augmented reality' in two places,” he explains. “Young audiences like to go into the truck and at least play with that. People ask questions they might not normally dare to ask.”

A depiction of natural gas growth in the European and Turkish markets shows what is produced in those places and, considering declining production and increasing demand, the 134 bcm that is still needed to satisfy demand. “Our main message is reliable energy supplies,” says Mr. Jansen. “That's not just about the reliability of the network, it's also about being able to supply future demand.”

As for how much Turkish consumers of gas need to be sold on the project, he says Turks believe it is beneficial vis a vis their experience with Blue Stream, which delivers gas directly to their market. He says, “Turkey is in a lucky position – they've got multiple potential suppliers around them and multiple projects potentially running through Turkey to ship gas to Europe, and they've clearly shown that interest in being that kind of transit state for the region and being a key player in energy. I think they have that ambition, and for them it's very clear that this project only brings benefits to the country in that sense.”

As to how much Gazprom's influence has changed given the scuttling of the South Stream gas pipeline project, Mr. Jansen explains that Gazprom has indicated it is ready to supply gas to the EU countries that want it, and talks with Greece for downstream infrastructure are underway.

South Stream Transport, he reports, is focusing on the implementation of the offshore section, which lands in Kiyikoy. The majority of that route has been fully surveyed and a full environmental impact assessment was done in the context of the South Stream project. “The offshore pipeline does not cross any landplots accept for a very short section in Anapa (Russia) and near Kiyikoy (Turkey). For South Stream, all the permitting procedures were conducted as well as a full environmental impact assessment, which included extensive talks with local communities in Russia .”

The same process, he says, must be done at landfall in Kiyikoy. “We'll have to assess exactly where the pipeline's going to be and talk to local communities about it. We'll be working on that process in the coming months.”

In Russia, he reports, meetings have been held for every step of the permitting process. He recalls, “So, when we had the first findings of what the pipeline might look like, and what it might mean for the environment, we went to all of the local communities – not just the main municipality – but also the small villages around there. We met with them three times in the end, returning with the results of the environmental and social impact reports. We've spoken to them numerous times and made efforts to show these kinds of things.”

Mr. Jansen's favorite part of the numerous displays in the semi truck is a scale model of one of the pipeline vessels being used by South Stream Transport. He offers, “Saipem will be involved in laying the first line, which we've built a full-scale model of. It shows how the pipeline will be laid across the beach. There are several methods to do it and this is one of the possible methods that we're currently showing.”

While the model is static, by pulling a screen that slides along the length of the pipe it reveals how a pipeline is constructed on a beach. “It shows you how the trench is made, how the pipeline is laid and how it's hauled in.

“But it also shows what the beach will look like afterwards, so people living there are able to see physically what it will look like, what the steps are, to also reassure them that the beach will restored completely and you won't see the pipeline afterwards.”

The pipe used in the display, he adds, bears the exact diameter of the pipe that will be used for TurkStream.

Mr. Jansen says, “This is, more or less, an acrylic pipe section, which also gives you a sense of the scale: it's a very large project in terms of energy security – the capacity is huge – but actually the pipes themselves are far from massive. They're 81 centimeters in diameter and you have four of these lines – that's the entire project.”

The lorry display also includes a cutout from an actual 12 meter pipe to give a sense of the thickness of the steel used, he adds, offering: “We have some questions about safety every now and then, so you can see what the quality is of the pipes that we're making. This is 39 mm thick steel with a very thick polymer coating on the outside against corrosion and flow coating on the inside, which is quite normal for gas flows. It's made for deep waters – 2 kilometers deep. You have about 280-100 bars of pressure, depending on how far the gas has traveled, but the pipes can handle 300.”

The TurkStream road show also contains interactive presentations on how route surveys are done on the floor of the Black Sea to determine the most beneficial one. “It's partly to find the best route for the pipeline in terms of geology; also we look at things like cultural heritage – there are shipwrecks in the Black Sea that we need to avoid or take into account for the route, because we obviously don't want to damage anything or potentially damage anything that could be of cultural value,” he explains.

According to Mr. Jansen, below 150-200 meters there is very little life in the Black Sea, because of hydrogen sulphide due to the inflow. “Apart from bacterial life, there's really no fish or algae or other life down there. So if you find shipwrecks, even if they're very old, they might be very well preserved, because there's very little erosion.”

Video displays show the production of the pipes (bending steel at extreme torque), originally for South Stream, but now being used for TurkStream, that weigh 9,000 kilos/piece.

Building a scale model is not a cheap solution, but it shows people how it works, says Mr. Jansen.

He says the truck also plays an important role in informing people who may not have access to the internet or online media. “We also have to take into account more vulnerable groups, who are maybe less likely to speak up themselves, so for us it's quite important to bring the project to them rather than the other way around, and get their opinion.”

At the end of the day, the emphasis of this display is upon TurkStream's ability to provide reliable energy supplies for Turkey. “Western Turkey and Istanbul are at the very end of the transportation chain at the moment, and they are definitely interested in having direct access to Russian gas reserves. So I think reliable energy for the future is also the tagline of this stand, and I think that's also the major message of this project.”

South Stream Transport, says Mr. Jansen, also plans on taking its massive TurkStream lorry to events in Istanbul and Ankara, among other locations in Turkey, to get their message out.

-Drew Leifheit