Greece confirms expedience of Turkish Stream gas pipeline construction on Greek territory

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. The Greek and Russian energy ministers confirmed during their telephone talks the expediency of creating new gas transportation infrastructure on the territory of Greece for transporting Russian natural gas to European consumers, Russia’s Energy Ministry said on Tuesday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak held a telephone talk with his Greek counterpart Panos Skurletis on Tuesday to discuss the pace of implementing the documents signed in June. The documents comprise a memorandum on cooperation in building and operating a gas pipeline on the Greek territory and a schedule of implementing a project for the construction of the gas pipeline on the Greek territory from Turkey to the border with Macedonia. The energy ministers agreed to continue an intensive dialog, including in the format of a special Russian-Greek working group for energy that had been established. The Turkish Stream is designed to serve as an alternative to the South Stream gas pipeline project abandoned by Russia in December 2014. The larger part of the Turkish Stream pipeline will run across the Black Sea and coincide with the South Stream route approved earlier. Gazprom and Turkey’s Botas signed a memorandum of understanding on December 1, 2014 on building the pipeline’s offshore section across the Black Sea. The Turkish Stream is expected to have an annual capacity of 63 billion cubic meters, of which 47 billion cubic meters will be delivered to a new gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border. Gazprom Russkaya company will be in charge of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline construction. Read more