Turkey-Greece gas pipeline tender postponed
Turkey has postponed the construction tender of a Turkey-Greece natural gas pipeline project aimed at carrying
Iranian gas to Europe through Turkey.
The bidding deadline of the project, also known as the Southern Europe Gas Ring Project, was postponed to Nov. 1 from
the earlier announced date of Sept. 30, 2004.
Greece and Turkey in 2003 agreed to build a $ 300 mm gas pipeline between them to carry up to 11 bn cm gas a year, of
which 3 bn cm for Greece itself and the rest for re-export to Europe. Turkey's State pipeline company BOTAS is in
charge of the tender work on the Turkish side.
Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler has said that the maximum volume of gas Turkey will pump to
Greece from Iran will be 11 bn cm.
The pipe will be 178 miles (285 km) long with a diameter of 36 inches (91 cm), and gas transmission is scheduled to
start in 2006 with an initial 750 mm cm, he added.
Turkey hopes to extend the pipeline to Italy and become an energy hub for south-eastern Europe.
