Media: Gas supplies via Turkish Stream will go through Hungary and Slovakia bypassing Ukraine
The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom chose its gas supplies’ route to Europe along the second Turkish Stream line. It will go through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia, reported the Russian newspaper Kommersant citing materials published by the countries’ gas transmission operators.
These materials were published in October-November as part of the procedure for booking future capacity (open season) which is stipulated by the legislation of the European Union (NC CAM) and is necessary for the construction of new gas pipelines.
According to the newspaper, Bulgaria and Serbia will receive gas from 2020, Hungary from 2021, and Slovakia in the second half of 2022. In December, Bulgartransgaz EAD plans to hold an auction for the future capacity of gas pipelines, which entering the Bulgarian system from Turkey and exit to Serbia.
Hungary, Slovakia and Austria already held an auction in October for booking new capacities from October 2022 for seven years.
Turkish Stream is a gas pipeline project from Russia to Turkey through the Black Sea. The first line is intended for the Turkish market, the second - for the countries of Southern and Southeastern Europe. The capacity of each line is 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. South Stream Transport B.V. (100% subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom) carries out the construction of the offshore section of the gas pipeline, which began on May 7, 2017.
Earlier, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said that one of Turkish Stream pipeline’s land branches could pass through Hungary.
On November 19, Russia completed the underwater part of the gas pipeline consisting of two lines with a total length of 1,820 km, which run along the bottom of the Black Sea from the Russian Federation to Turkey.