The expert told which countries will be able to supply gas through the Turkish hub
Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and in the future Turkmenistan, as well as exporters of liquefied natural gas, including Algeria, Qatar, the United States and other countries, will be able to become gas suppliers through the hub in Turkey, Evgenia Popova, an analyst at Vygon Consulting, said in a comment to RIA Novosti.
For the first time, the Turkish gas hub was mentioned in October last year. Then – two weeks after the explosions on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea – Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the lost volume of Russian gas transit could be moved to the Black Sea region. He noted the opportunity to create a gas hub in Turkey, which could become a platform for supplies to other countries, primarily to Europe, as well as for determining gas prices, which have increased several times since 2021 – to historical records.
Turkey reacted positively to the proposal to create a gas hub, and the leaders of the two countries instructed the relevant departments to start the relevant work. However, Europe met the proposal without enthusiasm. Western media reported that the creation of infrastructures that allow importing more Russian gas "makes no sense," and the European Commission recalled that the European Union seeks to reduce dependence on gas from Russia faster.
The Turkish gas hub is likely to become a "kind of gas distribution center," primarily for pipeline supplies to the countries of Southern and Southeastern Europe, the agency's interlocutor suggests. It can also become a "new point" for creating an electronic trading platform, and a new price index can become a regional benchmark, the analyst adds.
However, a significant increase in Russian supplies, even with the construction of a new maritime infrastructure from Russia to Turkey, without the expansion of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline (runs through the territories of Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine) and the construction of interconnectors inside Europe is unlikely, the agency interlocutor notes.
The target market is the countries of Southern and South-Eastern Europe, but in the near future they are unlikely to significantly increase supplies, the analyst states.
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