Head of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine Serhiy Makogon, commenting on the official launch of Turkish Stream on Facebook, announced plans for gas supplies to Ukraine from Bulgaria and Turkey, suggesting that Ukraine will eventually be connected to the Turkish Stream and will receive Russian gas not directly, but through a chain of intermediaries.
"We have already felt its influence. But we are looking for new opportunities of using the existing infrastructure (of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline) and have achieved the creation of a new corridor for gas supplies to Ukraine from Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece in the amount of up to 15.8 million cubic meters per day on its basis," he said.
Gas through Ukraine in the Balkan direction from January 1, 2020 is transited only for the needs of Romania and Moldova. Bulgaria, Turkey and other countries in this region no longer receive gas through Ukraine," the head of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine said.
As a result, the decrease in transit through Ukraine this year will be about 15 billion cubic meters.
The announced daily volume means deliveries of 5.77 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Ukraine. The only route via which such a volume of gas can be delivered to Ukraine from the south is the Turkish Stream. "We are counting on test deliveries already in January," Makogon said.
Vestnik Kavkaza expert Igor Yushkov confirmed that given the drop in Russian gas transit through Ukraine, such a complicated supply route through the Turkish Stream and the reverse of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline seems to be very realistic for Ukrainian gas imports.
