"Blue Stream" - gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey

"Blue Stream" is a gas pipeline that serves to ensure gas supplies from Russia to Turkey. It takes place on the bottom of the Black Sea, thereby avoiding other states. The construction of the gas pipeline contributed to the development of the hydrocarbon market and infrastructure of Turkey.

Historical reference

In late 1997, the heads of state of Russia and Turkey signed an agreement on gas supplies. According to the document, the company Gazprom signed a contract with the Turkish organization Botas for direct deliveries of natural gas to Turkey in the amount of 365 billion cubic meters per year through a pipeline. Ensuring this volume should be established in 25 years.

In 1999, the Italian company ENI and Gazprom signed a memorandum on joint cooperation and implementation of the gas pipeline construction project. The Blue Stream project was launched in late 1999, when these enterprises registered the joint venture Blue Stream Pipeline Company BV, which currently owns the offshore section of the pipeline. Gazprom is the owner of the land unit.

The Blue Stream (gas pipeline) was built in June 2002, almost in 9 months.

The gas pipeline was launched in 2003. The cost of construction is estimated at 3.2 billion dollars. During the year, 2 billion cubic meters of Russian gas were delivered to Turkey.

The Blue Stream gas pipeline on the map

If you consider the location of the pipeline on a geographical map, you can divide it into three parts:

• Overland Russian;
• Sea;
• Overland Turkish.

The Blue Stream map is presented below.

The Russian part of the gas pipeline passes through the Stavropol Territory from the city of Izobilny. Then it follows the territory of the Krasnodar Territory from. Arhipo-Osipovka to the Black Sea coast. The length of the pipeline of this part is 373 km.

The sea part runs in the south-west direction, towards Samsun, along the bottom of the Black Sea. The length of the sea part of the route is 396 km.

The overland Turkish part of the gas pipeline is the longest section (444 km). It passes from Samsun in the south-west direction to Ankara.

Specifications

"Blue Stream" is a gas pipeline, the length of which is almost 1200 km. The Russian land site passes in the mountains. The offshore part of the gas pipeline lies at a depth of almost 2100 km.

The bottom of the Black Sea has a high content of hydrogen sulphide, so for construction such an environment is considered to be aggressive. This greatly hampered the work. To increase the reliability of the structure, corrosion-resistant steel and a polymer coating were used in the manufacture of pipes. Also used were smart inserts.

For the construction of a Russian site in the mountains, special tunnels were constructed, passing under the Bezymyanny and Kobyla Ranges. This technology was used for the first time in Russia. The length of the tunnels is 3.26 km.

A special role in the construction was given to environmental measures. So, for example, along the route of the pipeline, land reclamation was carried out , and the relic forest was preserved during the construction of tunnels under the ridges.

Exploitation

Gas supplies began in February 2003. Under the contract, Gazprom was supposed to supply 2 billion cubic meters ^of natural gas to the Turkish side in 2003, and in 2004 - 4 billion cubic meters. By 2010, therefore, the volume of supplies had to be increased to the maximum throughput capacity of the pipeline - 16 billion cubic meters.

In fact, the supply volumes were slightly lower than planned:

• 2004 - 3.2 billion cubic meters;
• 2005 - 5 billion cubic meters;
• 2006 - 7.5 billion cubic meters;
• 2007 - 9.5 billion cubic meters.

Current state

Under the project, the maximum capacity of the pipeline is 16 billion cubic meters per year. The gas buyer, Turkey, often requests gas volumes corresponding to the design capacity of the pipeline. The fact is that Iran does not always fulfill its obligations to supply gas to Turkey. In this situation, the Russian partner meets the business partner and compensates for the shortage that has arisen with the Russian Gazprom. "Blue Stream" covers peak periods of gas demand in Turkey, which are associated with seasonal cooling.

Prospects

At the moment the pipeline has 2 branches. However, for almost 10 years, the question of the construction of the third remains topical. The project was named Blue Stream-2. Initially, it was assumed that the new branch will be built in the period from 2010 to 2015. Nevertheless, the implementation of the project has not yet begun, it is still pending.

It is planned that Russian natural gas will be delivered through Turkey to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. This project is very important for Russia from an economic point of view, since the supply of fuel will help to occupy key positions in the new market. Turkey is also interested in building a new gas pipeline, as it will receive income from the transit of raw materials.

The political situation in the region is hampering the implementation of such an initiative, since Israel does not yet have an opportunity to agree on the transit of gas through the territory of Syria and Lebanon. The world is embroiled in an economic crisis, so energy prices are rapidly falling. The current political situation in the Middle East also hinders the situation.

"Blue Stream" is a gas pipeline, which is a unique hydrotechnical structure. Its construction has become a new milestone in the history of technological progress. Its main part is located on the Black Sea bottom, at a depth of almost 2 km. Such a bold project is of great importance for the Russian economy, because it has made possible the supply of natural gas to the countries of the Middle East region.