Turkey, Gazprom mull Blue Stream capacity increase

Turkey and OAO Gazprom have discussed a possible increase in natural gas capacity of the Blue Stream gas pipeline to 19 billion cu m/year from 16 bcm/year. Blue Stream, which extends through the Black Sea, handles more than half of all gas purchased by Turkey from Russia.

Gazprom said an increase in capacity would not require laying additional strings.

Turkey is Gazprom’s second-largest sales market in Europe behind Germany. Gazprom supplied Turkey with 26.7 bcm of gas in 2013. Russian gas also is supplied to Turkey through the Trans-Balkan gas line.

The relationship in the gas sector between the two countries dates back to 1984, when Turkey and the then-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed the gas supply agreement.