The first billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas has been supplied by Gazprom via the newly completed TurkStream pipeline to Turkey.
“About 54 percent of this volume was delivered to the Turkish gas market and around 46 percent — to the Turkish-Bulgarian border,” Gazprom said.
The 930km pipeline across the bottom of the Black Sea became operational on January 1. The Russian and Turkish presidents officially opened the pipeline a week later.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the launch of one of the “largest construction projects in modern history” marks a “historic day” for the world energy development as a whole.
The two-string pipeline, which was created as an alternative to the South Stream pipeline (after Bulgaria ditched the project in 2014), boasts a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters. One of the lines supplies Russian gas to Turkey, and the other one for southern and southeastern European nations.
Russia, which remains the main gas supplier for Turkey, is also involved in another massive energy project in the country, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which is set to become operational later this year.
