Blue Stream
Significance
The Blue Stream gas pipeline is designed to transit Russian natural gas to Turkey across the Black Sea bypassing third countries. The pipeline will supplement the existing gas transmission corridor from Russia to Turkey crossing the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.
The Blue Stream has substantially increased the reliability of gas supply to Turkey thus developing the country's gas market and gas infrastructure.
Technical Features of a Unique Pipeline
The Blue Stream pipeline is a unique gas transmission facility which has no analogues in the world. Having constructed the pipeline, Gazprom turned a new page in the history of state-of-the-art gas transmission technologies.
The total length of the Blue Stream gas pipeline accounts for 1,213 km.
Taking into account that the Russian onshore pipeline section over 60 km long crosses mountains, while the depth of the offshore pipeline section reaches 2,150 m running through the aggressive hydrosulfuric environment, special technical solutions were applied during the Blue Stream construction in order to enhance its reliability. The solutions include high quality corrosion-resistant steel pipes with external and internal polymer coating; pipeline stress testing; intellectual cut-ins at the mountainous and offshore sections, etc.
For the first time ever in the Russian oil-and-gas industry, the onshore section of the Blue Stream has seen the construction of tunnels in mountainous terrain under the Kobyla and Bezymyanny Ridges. The total tunnel length is equal to 3,260 m.
Environmental protection activities were carried out in parallel with the gas pipeline construction including land reclamation along the whole pipeline construction route, preservation of more than 4 hectares of relic woods crossing the Kobyla and Bezymyanny Ridges with the tunnel method.
Cooperation
The Italian ENI, which has a great experience in offshore gas pipeline construction and owns the world’s largest pipe-laying fleet, was the Gazprom's main partner during the Blue Stream construction.
High quality corrosion-resistant steel pipes were used for the Blue Stream construction
History
On December 15, 1997, Russia and Turkey signed an Intergovernmental Agreement. Within the Agreement Gazprom and the Turkish Botas signed a 25-year contract for the supply of 365 bcm of gas to Turkey via the Blue Stream.
In February 1999, Gazprom and the Italian ENI signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing for joint participation in the Blue Stream project implementation.
On November 16, 1999, Gazprom and ENI registered a special-purpose Russian-Italian entity, Blue Stream Pipeline B. V., on a parity basis in the Netherlands. At present, this company acts as the owner of the offshore pipeline section and the Beregovaya compressor station. Gazprom is the owner and operator of the onshore pipeline section.
From September 2001 through June 2002, construction of the offshore section was underway.
In November 2005, the Samsun-based Durusu gas metering station (Turkey) celebrated the accomplishment of the Blue Stream project implementation.
In November 2005, the first stage of the Beregovaya compressor station was commissioned in Gelendzhik District of Krasnodar Krai.
For the first time ever in the Russian oil-and-gas industry the onshore section has seen the construction of tunnels in mountainous terrain
Current Status
In 2006 and 2007, the Blue Stream supplied 7.5 bcm and 9.5 bcm of gas respectively.
The design capacity of the Blue Stream gas pipeline totals 16 bcmpa.
It should be noted that in certain periods at the request of the Turkish party the Blue Stream gas pipeline daily supplies the amount of gas equal to its design capacity. This happens in case Iran defaults on its obligations. Gazprom compensates gas delivery shortfalls giving a helping hand to the Turkish colleagues.
Gazprom is also capable of covering peak energy demand in Turkey connected with regular low temperature periods there.
Italian ENI was the Gazprom’s main partner during the Blue Stream construction
Blue Stream-2
In addition to its prioritized purpose – gas deliveries to Turkey – the Blue Stream represents a ready-to-use gas transmission corridor for the implementation of new projects. The Blue Stream-2 being under consideration could be one of them.
The Blue Stream-2 can enable gas deliveries to the Middle East, Israel and other countries.
