Gazprom Starts Construction of Offshore Section of Turkish Stream Gas Pipeline

Russian energy giant Gazprom has started construction of the offshore section of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline along the bottom of the Black Sea, a statement released by the company said on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The construction started four days after the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where the two leaders discussed the implementation of the Turkish Stream project, among other issues.

"Today we started the practical part of realization of the Turkish Stream project – the offshore construction of the gas pipeline. The project is being implemented strictly according to the plan, and by the end of 2019 our Turkish and European consumers will have a new reliable route for the import of the Russian gas," the statement said, citing the company’s CEO, Alexei Miller.

The Turkish Stream project was announced in late 2014 by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Turkey. In November 2015, the project was suspended after a Russian Su-24 aircraft was downed by a Turkish F-16 fighter in Syria. A thaw in relations between Moscow and Ankara began last June following Turkey's apology to Russia.

Moscow and Ankara signed an intergovernmental agreement in October 2016 envisioning the construction of two underwater legs of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline in the Black Sea. The annual capacity of each leg is estimated to reach 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas.