The Turkish company Kalyon Holding has placed in position the first piece of pipe from the Black Sea – Podisor pipeline, which will ensure Europe’s energy security. The pipeline with a length of 308 kilometers will be completed in 2025, and the gas that will pass through Romania will help Europe to reduce its dependence on Russia.
Turkey has started a very important project for Europe’s energy security. Kalyon Holding has placed in position, in the ground, the first piece of pipe from the Black Sea – Podisor natural gas pipeline, which will meet the gas needs of Romania and the European Union. Through the pipeline with a length of 308 kilometers, which should be completed in 2025, the gas reserves from the Black Sea will reach the territory of Romania.
“(…) The Tuzla-Podișor gas pipeline is also necessary to be able to transport the 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas that would come to Romania and from the Caspian Sea area, from the LNG terminals in Turkey and Greece. The operationalization of the pipeline is important in the context in which an increase in the demand for natural gas consumption is estimated for the coming years, taking into account the decarbonization policies, respectively the transition of coal-fired power plants to gas, but also taking into account the completion of some investments in the sector industrial and energy sector and investments in the development and expansion of the SNT to allow the connection of all localities to the gas infrastructure (…), said the General Director of Transgaz, Ion Sterian.
He surpassed the European giants
Present at the inauguration ceremony of the Black Sea – Podisor gas pipeline, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz declared that this project has an important contribution to guaranteeing energy security: “Kalyon Holding is a company that has put its signature on symbolic projects. It has demonstrated its abilities of the whole world”. Showing that the Turkish sector of international entrepreneurship has managed to become a star of the global business environment, thanks to the prestigious projects it has developed, Yılmaz added: “Kalyon Holding has put its signature on the largest gas pipeline natural resources in Europe, an important project that we are very proud of. It won a transparent tender, leaving behind the largest companies in Europe and obtaining a complete score from a technical point of view. It is now taking its experience in the fields of construction and energy to Europe “.
Strategic project from the perspective of the European Union
Recalling that the Black Sea – Podisor gas pipeline is the largest natural gas project in Europe, Yılmaz added that “Due to its capacity of 12 billion cubic meters, it is of strategic importance for the EU and Romania. The extracted gas will reach Romania’s territory” . Specifying that in addition to political, economic and military relations, Romania and Turkey also have soul relations, Yılmaz recalled that “Turkish entrepreneurs have carried out 211 projects in Romania, worth 11 billion dollars. Turkish companies have investments of 7.5 billion dollars in Romania. The value of trade reached three billion dollars in the first three months of the year. We hope to end the year with a value of trade of 12 billion dollars.”
Appeal to the business environment
The Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacsu mentioned the investments in infrastructure and the importance of exploiting the gas from the Black Sea. “We are placing the first pieces of pipe of this project in positions in the ground. We are laying the first brick”. Neacșu launched a call for collaboration to the business environment in Turkey and Romania, showing that: “We complement each other, new doors are opening. Turkey is one of our main partners, besides the EU. Trade exchanges have exceeded 10 billion dollars, the next objective is 15 billion”.
The value of the investment is 500 million euros
The Tuzla – Podisor gas pipeline has a length of 308 kilometers, being built from pipes with a diameter of 48 and 40 inches. The gas pipeline will connect with the BRUA corridor (a very important corridor for Europe’s energy security, which crosses Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria).
The project includes 20 shut-off valve stations and 10 cathodic protection stations.
A large part of the consumption in Romania will be covered by the gas that will be transported from the maritime area through the pipeline with an annual capacity of over 12 billion cubic meters.
The gas pipeline is included in the list of Projects of Common Interest published by the European Union in November 2015. Projects that contribute to the integration of energy markets and the security of energy supply, as well as those necessary for the establishment of an energy corridor, were included in the list of Projects of Common Interest drawn up by The European Commission.
Within the Tuzla – Podisor project, Kalyon Holding will supply steel pipes weighing 100,000 tons.
1,200 people will be employed
The President of the Board of Directors of Kalyon İnşaat, Murathan Kalyoncu, stated that the project will satisfy the gas needs of both Europe and Romania and that the value of the investment is 500 million euros. Explaining that the project is to be completed in June 2025, Kalyoncu said: “1,200 people will be employed during the busiest period of the project. We took Turkish entrepreneurship and engineering abroad. This project will give a new impetus to economic relations with Romania. We show the whole world the engineering skills of our country”.
