Prime Ministry asks for ‘full cooperation’ among state institutions to complete Turkish Stream project on time

ANKARA

A Prime Ministry circular has called on all public institutions to cooperate and coordinate effectively to complete the Turkish Stream pipeline project in the envisaged period of time, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

According to the circular, which was published on April 5 in the Official Gazette, a new institution will be made responsible for the required land acquisition within the framework of the project.

“In the upcoming period, a public institution will be appointed as the land rights body to execute the required land acquisitions within the scope of the project,” read the circular, calling for all state-run organizations and institutions to work collaboratively and in a coordinated manner to complete the project online in time for the planned opening. 

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said in a statement on March 29 that the company aims to finish construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline by the end of 2019. Gazprom plans to start laying Turkish Stream undersea pipes in the second half of this year, according to the statement.

The Prime Ministry circular recalled that an intergovernmental agreement between Turkey and Russia to build the Turkish Stream pipeline was inked on Oct. 10, 2016 and became effective on Feb. 21, 2017, in line with the law numbered 6765.  

The project will include four pipelines, two of them will be offshore and the remaining two will be onshore.

South Stream Transport B.V. has undertaken the design, construction and operation works of the two offshore pipelines, while one of the two onshore pipelines will be built by Turkey’s BOTAŞ. 

The works of the remaining one onshore pipeline will be undertaken by a company that is planned to be jointly established by businesses named by Turkey and Russia in the upcoming period, according to the circular.