Russia, Turkey preparing to build first TurkStream line, completion in 2019
ST. PETERSBURG. Aug 9 (Interfax) - Russia and Turkey are launching active preparations to build the first strand of the TurkStream gas pipeline to supply Russian gas to Turkish consumers Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters.
The first line would be completed in the second half of 2019.
"We need to work this matter through in the near future. Firstly, we have already provided Turkey with a road map and Turkey has the draft of an inter-governmental agreement. Today we have received further confirmation that Turkey is interested in this, and that they have received all commands from their leadership to speed up the process of considering these documents. We're talking above all about the draft of the intergovernmental agreement, the road map which defines in addition the whole algorithm for the actions to be taken and then obtaining all necessary permits for surveying, construction and so on," Novak said.
"We'll now be in close contact with our colleagues, with Turkey's energy ministry, with the companies Gazprom and Botas, we'll be acting on the tasks set by our leadership. We have already started negotiating in earnest," he said.
"Now we're looking more practically at what needs to be done first and foremost, which is to build a first strand [of the pipeline] specifically for be consumers in Turkey," he said.
A decision by Turkey would be sufficient to build the first line, he said.
But the construction of a second or any other TurkStream lines to supply Russian gas to Europe without guarantees from the European Union is not being discussed, Novak said,.
"As for a second line, the president said at today's press conference that here we would need guarantees from the European Union that there will be a need for this infrastructure, and that southeastern countries in Europe will receive gas via this infrastructure," he said.
Novak said work on this issue would continue with the EU. "We together with our Turkish partners want to see this project happen, and European countries are interested. It remains to resolve the technical issues and obtain the necessary agreement and guarantees that this infrastructure will be in demand," he said.
He said the first line would involve a great deal of work, finding a contractor and agreeing on the configuration and financing. "Such a large project is a whole range of measures, some of them technological in nature - it's agreeing on the configuration, financing issues, choosing the contractor and so on. Therefore the first line will be completed in keeping with the road map, that's December 2019," Novak told the Rossiya 24 TV channel in an interview.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said his company had already begun substantive talks with Botas on the issue. "[The talks are beginning] now, right now," he said.
