Turkey Issues Permit on Surveys for Turkish Stream, Gazprom Confirms

Turkey issued a permit on engineering surveys for the offshore section of Turkish Stream, Gazprom confirmed on Monday evening. 

‘The document stipulates that investigations will be carried out within the exclusive economic zone and territorial waters of Turkey in order to place the first offshore string of the gas pipeline’ reads the note. 

According to the Russian company, the offshore section of Turkish Stream will consist of four strings, each with a throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters. The gas pipeline should stretch for 660 kilometers within the existing corridor of South Stream and for 250 kilometers within a new corridor towards the European part of Turkey.

‘Natural gas from the first gas pipeline string is expected to meet the growing demands of the Turkish market only’ Gazprom wrote. 

According to several reports published on Tuesday, Russia and Turkey plan to agree the text of the intergovernmental agreement on Turkish Stream by July. The reports are coherent with declarations made by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak earlier this month. 

At the same time, Gazprom is eyeing business opportunities in Asia.  

Reuters wrote that PetroVietnam and Gazprom signed an agreement to develop two gas fields in Russia - Nagumanovskoye in the southwest area of Orenburg and Severo-Purovskoye in the west Siberian district. 

On the other hand, Ukraine confirmed its commitment to move closer to Europe. 

“Neither Russia nor anyone else will stop this process. This is our bilateral agreement with the European Union, and we decide as to the content and form of this agreement," Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Tuesday, referring to the free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU. He said that the FTA will come into force from January 1, 2016.