Pipeline to carry Black Sea gas to system completed

ANKARA

The 36-kilometer pipeline and measurement station that will transfer the natural gas extracted from the Black Sea to the national system has been completed.

For the passage of the pipeline, many obstacles such as roads, rivers and swamps were overcome, while an “automatic welding machine” was used for the first time for “zero error.”

Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) teams continue their work for the domestic gas to be connected to the national system in March. After the domestic natural gas arrives at Filyos Natural Gas Processing Facility with special pipes 170 kilometers off the sea, it will be subjected to a series of processes by TPAO.

Then it will be forwarded to BOTAŞ to connect to the national system. The gas to be tested at BOTAŞ will then be transmitted to the pipeline to be delivered to homes.

The first location the domestic gas will arrive will be the measurement station. Although 10 million cubic meters of gas will be transferred per day at the first stage, the teams thought ahead and designed the Filyos Natural Gas Metering Station with a daily capacity of 50 million cubic meters. Within the scope of the works that lasted about one year, the measuring station became ready for testing.

In order to connect the Black Sea gas to the national system, a 36-kilometer pipeline was laid in the first stage. An automatic welding machine was used for such a short line for the first time in the world, authorities noted. The automatic welding machine, which is mostly preferred in long lines due to its cost, was used in this project for “zero error.”

Within the scope of the project, special transition applications were made at 87 points such as roads, rivers and energy transmission lines. This practice accounted for 10 percent of the total pipeline.

Sometimes special equipment was used on the pipeline route, 65 percent of which consists of high sloping land.

Another challenge was the Filyos river. The teams built a 200-meter pipeline through the river, which flows at a high flow rate at certain times. In addition, a swamp was dried during the river crossing.