Turkey ‘most viable route’ for East Med Sea gas

ISTANBUL

Turkey route is the most commercially viable alternative to transfer natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez has said.

In a live interview with CNN Türk aired on March 12, Dönmez said: “We had made contacts on a technical level regarding the transfer of natural gas discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean to Turkey and Europe some five to six years ago. Not only Israel has discovered [natural gas] in the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt also has done so.”

“Both countries have started production. The discoveries announced by Israel amount to 2 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. They will meet the domestic demand in the first phase. If you cannot find markets to sell, that will not have any economic benefit. The shortest route goes through Turkey,” he added.

According to the minister’s remarks, a 600-kilometer pipeline should be built to transfer natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Turkey’s natural gas network, which already transfers gas from Russia and Azerbaijan to Europe.

He will visit Israel next month for talks on energy routes, Dönmez also said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog last week visited Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a moment when the two countries are exerting joint efforts to normalize their ties.