Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom has quietly abandoned plans to build a new gas hub in Turkey - a project that was expected to bring Russian gas back to the European market after being isolated by the conflict in Ukraine.
The project was first announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in October 2022, not long after the Nord Stream gas pipelines were sabotaged at the seabed.
According to the plan, the Turkish gas hub will become a strategic transit point, supplying up to 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year to the European market.
However, according to close sources, Gazprom withdrew after assessing the project as unfeasible due to a series of technical, political and trade barriers. Notable among them are limitations in infrastructure for gas pipelines from Turkey to Europe, disagreements with Turkey on gas distribution rights, and especially the European Union's (EU) determination to completely cut off Russian gas before 2027.
A key factor in cooling Gazprom is Turkey's view. Turkey wants to take control of gas sales through the center, which would limit Russia's influence.
In addition, Turkey currently does not have enough infrastructure to transport large volumes of gas to Europe through flats such as Greece or Bulgaria.
Although promoted by Russia as part of its geopolitical energy strategy, the idea does not actually come from within Gazprom. From the beginning, many leaders of this group have been skeptical, and now there are almost no internal discussions about the project.
Despite the lifting of the gas hub plan, Gazprom's current energy exports to Turkey are still not affected. Turkey remains one of Gazprom's biggest customers.
Turkey's Energy Ministry and pipeline operator BOTAŞ both declined to comment on the project's fate. However, a Turkish official said Turkey is still ready to cooperate if plans are restarted, despite the negotiations having been at a standstill for a long time.
