Turkey Deploys 280-Tonne Distribution Chamber in Black Sea to Collect Gas, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkey has deployed a 280-tonne chamber at a depth of 2,200 meters (1.4 miles) in the Black Sea to collect gas from sea wells, Turkish press reported on Thursday.

Earlier in the year, the Sabah newspaper reported that Turkey will invest up to $10 billion in a project to extract and transport 540 billion cubic meters of gas from the Sakarya natural gas field in the Black Sea. The first gas delivery is expected to take place in 2023. Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez has said that the value of the gas discovered in the Black Sea was estimated at $400 billion.

According to press, the distribution chamber, which was placed in the sea at a depth of 2,200 meters during a 20-hour operation, will collect gas from Black Sea wells and connect it with a main pipeline.

A Turkish Navy vessel patrols as the drilling ship 'Yavuz' to be dispatched to the Mediterranean, is docked at the port of Dilovasi, outside Istanbul,Thursday, June 20, 2019

© AP Photo / Lefteris Pitarakis

The idea of Turkey's increasing role in exports of gas to Europe and other regions has been widely discussed in recent weeks. On October 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow could redirect gas transit from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines to Turkey. On October 14, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the two leaders had instructed relevant institutions in both countries to start implementing the project, and Ankara expects to complete the pipeline's construction in the coming months.

According to the current plans, Turkey intends to partially cover its fuel needs by extracting Black Sea gas, with Russia being its main supplier of gas. The gas distribution center is expected to be located in the European part of Turkey.