Turkish Gas Hub Could Secure Supplies to Europe: Turkish Minister

The creation of a gas hub in Turkey will ensure the security of energy carriers’ supplies to European countries, Turkish Minister of Energy Alparslan Bayraktar said July 31 according to TASS.

• Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the creation of a gas hub in Turkey remains on the agenda, amid Turkey’s growing role as a location for gas transit.
• The idea was first floated in October 2022, when Putin proposed creating the largest gas hub in Europe in Turkey to redirect gas which could no longer transit through Nord Stream.
• However, analysts have questioned the feasibility of the project, with European leaders reticent to rely on Russia for gas supplies. German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said July 20 that Russia was "using its power to blackmail Europe and Germany” in relation to energy flows.
• A boost in supplies of Russian gas would also run counter to the EU’s REPowerEU plan, launched in March 2022 to make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels by 2030.
• “We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas. We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said when the plan was launched.