Putin launched the first line of the Turkish Stream

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the first string of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, through which Russian gas will go to Turkey, and then can go to southern Europe. According to RBC , Putin noted that Turkey is turning into a serious European hub, which will affect its geopolitical position. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that in 2019 the gas pipeline will be ready for operation. In addition to the sea part, the land part on the territory of Turkey should be completed.

Turkish Stream, which runs along the bottom of the Black Sea from Anapa to Turkey, will consist of two strings with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters. m. of gas per year each. Gazprom also planned to build a gas hub on Turkey's border with Greece. In June 2018, the company estimated the cost of the pipeline at $7 billion.

The first line of the Turkish Stream will be designed to supply gas to the Turkish market, the second - to the countries of Southern and South-Eastern Europe. For it, Gazprom is considering two route options - through Bulgaria to Serbia and Hungary or through Greece to South Italy. Turkish Stream has replaced South Stream with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters. m per year, which Gazprom had to abandon in December 2014 due to Bulgaria's withdrawal from the project.