Gazprom receives license from Turkey to build under water of Turkish Stream

Russian energy giant Gazprom has received its first license from Turkey regarding the construction of the Turkish Stream, in particular for the section of the project that will pass through the sea.

According to the written remarks made by the Russian company, it was indicated that through the help of diplomatic channels, the first required license for the construction of the under water of the Turkish Stream project was received from the relevant Turkish government bodies. According to the announcement, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller said in the first phase for the realization of the energy project, collaboration with the company's Turkish counterparts has been going smoothly and efficiently.

While the permission concerns merely the construction part, according to some resources from the Russian ministry of energy, the other necessary permissions for the realization of the project will be issued in the upcoming weeks.

Moreover, earlier in September, speaking to reporters in Vladivostok, Russia, Miller said they expect the necessary permissions from Turkey for the implementation of the Turkish Stream project in the near future.

"All the permissions issued earlier for the construction of the South Stream will be used by Gazprom for the Turkish Stream," Miller said. "We are interested in investments related to facilities for conversion of natural gas in Turkey, especially the natural gas consumption sector in western regions."

Also, in an interview with Bloomberg news agency earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project will finish sooner or later. According to a post on the Kremlin's website, Putin said that they will ultimately at least put into practice the first segment, which is on transferability and the increment of supply to the Turkish domestic market.

The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry announced earlier this month that Turkey and Russia have agreed to obtain the necessary permits for the realization of the Turkish Stream project. The ministry's statement revealed, "Both parties expressed mutual determination to take steps to guarantee Turkey's rights arising from the contract within the framework of the arbitration process, and resolve the question that led to this process." During one-on-one and inter-delegation meetings in Istanbul, the Russian and Turkish delegations addressed the issues of the Turkish Stream project, regional cooperation on energy and the arbitration process that Turkey initiated as part of its rights arising from the contract that it signed with Russia.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the jet crisis last year between Turkey and Russia, the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 9 is regarded as the onset of a new era in terms of relations between the two countries, further fostering economic cooperation. In this respect, more concrete steps started being taken regarding the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project - the first of three nuclear power plants Turkey currently plans to build in the southern province of Mersin along with the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, aside from Turkish Stream.

The Turkish Stream project is designed to transfer Russian natural gas to Europe via the Black Sea and Turkey. Under Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom's plans, the Turkish Stream pipeline will be split into four lines with a total capacity of 63 billion cubic meters a year. In December 2014, Russia scrapped the South Stream pipeline project that would have transported natural gas to Europe via Bulgaria and brought forward the proposed four-line and 63 billion-cubic-meter project that will bypass Ukraine and stretch to the Turkish-Greek border through the Black Sea.