Slovakia resumes Russian gas imports via TurkStream pipeline costs soar

Russian gas supplies have reached Slovakia through the TurkStream pipeline, after previous routes were cut off when Kyiv refused to extend the transit contract with Gazprom, said SPP CEO Vojtech Ferenc.

Supplies began on February 1 and are expected to double beginning in April, Caliber.Az reports via Slovak media.

Ferenc stated that gas shipments are expected to double starting in April, with the current contract between SPP and Gazprom Export running until 2034. "We are not terminating it," Ferenc noted.

Meanwhile, SPP is setting up a subsidiary in Ukraine and securing a gas transportation licence to facilitate further Russian gas transit.

The new route, however, comes at an additional cost, with Ferenc revealing that transporting gas via TurkStream would cost SPP 90 million euros more than the previous Ukrainian route.

Thus, the TurkStream pipeline, which runs from Russia to Türkiye beneath the Black Sea, has a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year. It serves Türkiye and Southern and Southeastern European nations, with two lines, each capable of transporting up to 15.75 bcm annually.

By Aghakazim Guliyev