New gas pipeline of Gazprom may be laid to Thrace

Turkey would like to see a new gas pipeline, replacing South Stream, been constructed directly to the European part of the country, not parallel to Blue Stream. Gazprom, according to the Kommersant, is inclined to the latter option, as it is two times cheaper. But now the key point in the negotiations between Moscow and Ankara, apparently, will be the price of gas: Turkey continues to insist on more discounts than Gazprom currently offers.

Ankara offers to Gazprom that it construct the pipeline, an alternative to cancelled South Stream, directly across the Black Sea to the European part of the country, said yesterday the Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz. According to him, now there are two routes - with the emergence of the gas pipeline on land in Samsun on the Anatolian coast (now Blue Stream goes to the same) or in Thrace (district of Istanbul). Turkey would like to implement the latter option, because Samsun already has Blue Stream, whereas the European part of Turkey consumes a lot of gas and now is supplied through the Trans-Balkan pipeline. But Gazprom after the construction of the pipe to Turkey wants to cut off the supplies to Trans-Balkan route, as this gas is transited through the Ukraine. Yesterday Gazprom didn’t comment on the proposals of the Turkish Minister.