Blue Stream is a gas pipeline that serves to ensure gas supplies from Russia to Turkey. It passes along the bottom of the Black Sea, thereby bypassing other states. The construction of the pipeline contributed to the development of the hydrocarbon market and infrastructure of Turkey.
Historical reference
At the end of 1997, the heads of state of Russia and Turkey signed an agreement on gas supplies. According to the document, Gazprom signed a contract with the Turkish organization Botas for the direct supply of natural gas to Turkey in the amount of 365 billion m 3 per year through the pipeline. Ensuring this volume should be established in 25 years.
In 1999, the Italian company ENI and Gazprom signed a memorandum on joint cooperation and implementation of a gas pipeline construction project. The Blue Stream project began at the end of 1999, when these enterprises registered the joint venture Blue Stream Pipeline Company BV, which is currently the owner of the offshore gas pipeline. Gazprom is the owner of the land unit.
The Blue Stream (gas pipeline) was built in June 2002, in almost 9 months.
The gas pipeline was launched in 2003. The construction cost is estimated at 3.2 billion dollars. During the year, 2 billion cubic meters of Russian gas was delivered to Turkey.
Blue Stream gas pipeline on the map
If we consider the location of the pipeline on a geographical map, we can divide it into three parts:
- Russian land;
- sea;
- Turkish land.
The Blue Stream map is presented below.
The Russian part of the pipeline runs along the Stavropol Territory from Izobilnoye. Then it follows the territory of the Krasnodar Territory from the village. Arkhipo-Osipovka to the Black Sea coast. The length of the pipeline in this part is 373 km.
The marine part passes in a south-westerly direction, towards the city of Samsun, along the bottom of the Black Sea. The length of the marine part of the route is 396 km.
The Turkish onshore part of the pipeline is the longest section (444 km). It runs from Samsun in a southwestern direction to Ankara.
Specifications
Blue Stream is a gas pipeline with a length of almost 1,200 km. The Russian land site is in the mountains. The offshore part of the pipeline lies at a depth of almost 2100 km.
The bottom of the Black Sea has a high content of hydrogen sulfide, therefore such an environment is considered aggressive for construction. This made work very difficult. To increase the reliability of the structure, corrosion-resistant steel and a polymer coating were used in the manufacture of pipes. Intelligent inserts were also used.
For the construction of the Russian section in the mountains, special tunnels were constructed passing under the Bezymyanny and Kobyl ranges. This technology was used for the first time in Russia. The length of the tunnels is 3.26 km.
A special role in the construction was given to environmental measures. So, for example, land reclamation was carried out along the pipeline route , and the relict forest was also preserved during the construction of tunnels under the ridges.
Exploitation
Gas supplies began in February 2003. Under the contract, Gazprom was supposed to supply the Turkish side in 2003 with 2 billion m 3 of natural gas, and in 2004 - already 4 billion m 3 . By 2010, therefore, the volume of deliveries was to be increased to the maximum throughput of the pipeline - 16 billion m 3 .
In fact, the supply volumes were slightly lower than planned:
- 2004 - 3.2 billion m 3 ;
- 2005 - 5 billion m 3 ;
- 2006 - 7.5 billion m 3 ;
- 2007 - 9.5 billion m 3 .
Current state
According to the project, the maximum capacity of the pipeline is 16 billion cubic meters per year. A gas purchaser, Turkey, often asks for gas volumes that match the design capacity of the pipeline. The fact is that Iran does not always fulfill its obligations to supply gas to Turkey. In this situation, he meets the business partner and compensates for the shortage that arose in the Russian Gazprom. Blue Stream covers peak gas demand periods in Turkey, which are associated with seasonal cooling.
Prospects
At the moment, the pipeline has 2 branches. However, for almost 10 years, the question of building a third remains relevant. The project was called Blue Stream-2. Initially, it was assumed that a new branch will be built between 2010 and 2015. Nevertheless, the project has not yet been launched; it is still under consideration.
It is planned that Russian natural gas will be delivered through Turkey to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. This project is very important for Russia from an economic point of view, since fuel supplies will help to occupy key positions in the new market. Turkey is also interested in the construction of a new gas pipeline, since it will receive income from the transit of raw materials.
The political situation in the region impedes the implementation of such an initiative, since Israel does not yet have the opportunity to agree on gas transit through the territory of Syria and Lebanon. The world is in the grip of an economic crisis, so energy prices are plummeting. The current political situation in the Middle East is also difficult.
“Blue Stream” is a gas pipeline, which is a unique hydraulic engineering structure. Its construction was a new milestone in the history of technological progress. Its main part is located on the Black Sea bottom, at a depth of almost 2 km. Such a bold project is of great importance for the Russian economy, since thanks to it it became possible to supply natural gas to the countries of the Middle East region.