The Turkish torrent passes the first billion cubic meters of Russian gas:

Russia on Monday pumped the first billion cubic meters of natural gas through the Turkish Torrent pipeline that entered service this January, according to a statement published by the Russian "Gazprom" company.

The statement issued by the same oil company said that 54 percent of the gas was directed to Turkey, while 46 percent of the gas was diverted to the Turkish-Bulgarian border.

The Turkish Torrent Project, which came into service on January 8th at an official opening ceremony held in Istanbul, in the presence of both Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian Vladimir Putin, is one of the most important economic projects in the region, as it supplies two pipelines to transport gas from Russia to Turkey and Europe passing through the sea Black, where the first tube is to provide for Turkey, while the second tube feeds eastern and southern Europe.

The importance of the Turkish Torrent

The Turkish torrent, which has a total length of 1160 km, is branched into two natural gas pipelines, the length of the first is 930 km that passes through the bottom of the Black Sea and is intended to send gas to Turkey, while the second, which has a length of 180 km, crosses the Turkish lands up to its western borders, its mission is to deliver gas to The European Neighborhood, while the remaining 50 kilometers of the pipeline cross the Russian mainland.

The total capacity of the "Turkish Torrent" project is estimated at 31.5 billion cubic meters annually, and it is eligible to cover all of the gas needs of Eastern and Southern Europe.

The shares of gas destined for export are distributed as follows: 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas allocated to Turkey, while the share of southern and eastern European countries is estimated at 15.25 billion cubic meters of gas.

The Turkish Torrent Project, whose actual value was estimated at 11.4 billion euros, or 12.9 billion dollars, transformed Turkey into a vibrant center for gas trade, as it is a land for pipelines transporting it, in addition to the services it provides to it, which covers its needs of natural gas by 53 percent.

In general, Turkey withdraws its share of gas pipelines passing through its territory directly, "Tanap", while the export quota directed to Europe is collected in giant warehouses that were established specifically on the Turkish borders with Bulgaria.

According to this, the "Turkish Torrent" project is extremely important for both parties, Ankara and Moscow, as it first supports the arrival of gas supplies to European countries, and secondly provides Turkey with its energy needs, especially as it is a country that imports more than 90% of its gas requirements.

The project, which passes through Turkey, also provides Russia with a great opportunity to strengthen its gas share in the European market, especially with the repercussions of the stormy crisis with Ukraine on the issue of transit of gas to the old continent and its subsequent fluctuations and losses.

It is worth mentioning in this regard that Russian gas supplies to Turkey have approached nearly 30 billion cubic meters in recent years, as statistics conducted in 2016 indicate that Turkey is the second largest consumer of Russian gas after Germany, outperforming the third-ranked country of Italy.

By pumping the first shipment of gas through the torrential pipelines (the artery of gas flowing to Europe), Turkey will have turned into a real and effective energy center and a major link in the region due to its strategic location at the crossroads between Eastern European countries and the countries of the Middle East and European countries that are in urgent need of supplies oil and gas.