The permit problem might be related to talks between Gazprom and Turkish state company Botas about a possible discount for Russian gas.
Turkey has yet to issue a permit for Russia's Gazprom to start building the land-based part of the TurkStream gas pipeline, three sources familiar with the matter said, stoking fears the strategically important project will be delayed.
Ankara has authorized Gazprom, which has a de facto monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline, to start building two undersea sections of the project, as reported by Reuters.
However, it has still not given Gazprom the green light for the land-based segment to ship Russian gas onward to southern Europe, the sources told Reuters. "There is no permission from Turkey, which hampers talks about building the second line to Europe," one of the sources familiar with the talks said.
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A third source in the Turkish energy industry told Reuters that Botas and Gazprom had yet to set up a joint venture they were meant to form for the land-based part of TurkStream. This was why a construction permit had not yet been issued, the source added.
Botas and the Turkish Energy Ministry declined to comment.
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On Monday, TurkStream's operating company said Gazprom had already built 884 km of the two lines, almost half the pipeline's entire subsea portion.