South Stream

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Variants of the route of the planned pipeline, the branch to southern Italy was discarded

South Stream ( Russian Южный поток , transcription Juschny potok , Bulgarian Южен поток ) was a pipeline project to transport Russian natural gas to Europe.

history

Gas pipes in Varna (2014)

The pipeline should supply Southeastern and Southern Europe from 2015 at the earliest. The project consisted of three components: the expansion of transport capacities in Russia to the Black Sea coast near Anapa , the construction of a pipeline through the Black Sea and the further construction of the natural gas pipeline from Varna in Bulgaria . The offshore section was made up of four parallel tubes with a planned transmission capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which were to run 931 kilometers through the Black Sea.

South Stream should diversify the delivery routes from Russian natural gas to Europe and reduce Russia's dependence on the currently dominant transit states Ukraine and Belarus (see Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute ).

On February 5, 2009 the agreement to build the pipeline through the Black Sea was signed between Gazprom and the Bulgarian energy holding company. It planned to increase the originally planned 31 billion cubic meters of transmission capacity by a further 16 billion.

Another meeting between Eni and Gazprom took place in April 2009 . At the time, Eni was considering giving Gazprom a stake in the Libyan elephant field.

On July 13, 2009, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti announced that Bulgaria had frozen its cooperation with Gazprom and was currently not interested in further planning this pipeline or other Russian energy projects. Turkmenistan's announcement that it intends to participate in the Nabucco pipeline either through existing Iranian pipelines or by means of trans-Caspian pipelines still to be built was considered a further setback for the Russian South Stream project. Until then, Russia had tried to keep Turkmenistan from participating in Nabucco.

On August 6, 2009, Russia and Turkey signed a cooperation agreement in which Turkey approves the construction of the Russian South Stream gas pipeline in their territorial waters.

On August 14, 2009, the third EU energy package came into force, which provides for the unbundling of the supplier and the pipeline operator. This is a major cause of the pipeline failure.

On April 24, 2010, Austria approved the construction of the pipeline in negotiations with Russia.

In September 2011 there was a change with regard to the shareholders. In addition to the previous shareholder Gazprom with a 50% stake, Eni will hold 20%, EdF and Wintershall will each hold 15% of the shares.

In December 2011, Russian media reported that Gazprom would not lead the route in the west to the existing distributor to Baumgarten an der March in northeast Austria and also not to southern Italy, but only to northern Italy, since Austria operates the competing Nabucco pipeline with OMV . Russia demanded a 50 percent stake in the OMV-dominated gas exchange CEGH , which would have created influence on Nabucco, which the EU Commission prevented by imposing conditions. In the same month, Turkey gave its final approval for the construction of the pipeline through the Black Sea. In return, Russia pledged gas supplies to the country until 2025.

On December 7, 2012, the construction of the natural gas pipeline officially began in the southern Russian city of Anapa on the Black Sea.

In the summer of 2013, the competing Nabucco pipeline project was declared over. This pipeline was supposed to transport natural gas from the Caspian region to the EU, bypassing Russian territory.

Construction began in Serbia on November 23, 2013.

On January 29, 2014, Voestalpine announced that it had completed part of the steel pipe (sheet) order. The 931 km long offshoe route should lie in the Black Sea at a depth of up to 2000 m, have an outer diameter of 813 mm and a wall thickness of 39 mm.

In the wake of the Crimean crisis in 2014, EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger announced in March 2014 that he would delay the South Stream project. This would mean that the Nord Stream pipeline ending in northern Germany would be the only one that could secure a significant supply of Russian natural gas in the event of a disruption to gas transit through Ukraine.

Bulgaria stopped the preparatory work at the beginning of June 2014 after legal pressure from the EU Commission and a visit by an American delegation led by Senator McCain . Russian media claimed that "McCain" edited "Bulgaria's Prime Minister Oresharsky over the weekend. In June 2014, Oleg Savelyev, Minister for Affairs of Crimea, spoke about plans to also supply the Russian-occupied Crimea with gas by branching off the South Stream pipeline. The idea of ​​saving costs by running the line across the Crimea was countered by sticking to the original plans. On June 24, 2014, a contract was signed between OMV and Gazprom for the construction of the Austrian section of the South Stream pipeline. Among other things, a branch of the pipeline to the central distribution center of OMV for natural gas in Baumgarten an der March has now been agreed.

Suspension of the project

On December 1, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the project would be suspended for the time being due to Bulgaria's blockade. On the same day he conferred with the Turkish President Erdoğan ; the two signed a memorandum providing for the delivery of large quantities of gas to Turkey. Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said he would look into the Russian proposal; but it is still too early to "announce one last word" on the matter. There is already a gas pipeline called Blue Stream between the two countries . Russian Energy Minister Alexander Nowak blamed the EU for abandoning the South Stream pipeline through Russia.

The core of the differences between the European Union and Russia is the liberalization and opening of the respective energy markets to external investors. The European Energy Charter prescribes such an opening. Russia did not ratify it, but withdrew its signature in 2009. In the Russian South Stream plans, the EU insisted on rules that have been in force for all transmission system operators in the EU since November 2010 : Anyone building a pipeline on EU soil must, among other things, grant competitors non-discriminatory access; Network and sales must be separate. The carrier is not allowed to control prices. Gazprom wanted to become both a gas producer and a gas network operator at South Stream; the EU Commission therefore saw the rules mentioned violated. As early as 2013, she had emphatically pointed this out to the EU countries through which the pipeline was to run.

In June 2014, the EU Commission initiated infringement proceedings against Bulgaria, which prompted the country to stop work on the pipeline. In response, Russia requested arbitration from the World Trade Organization . Bulgaria ( EU member since 2007 ) announced in June that it would stick to the construction, but only want to continue the project after the EU Commission had given its approval . Serbia avoided (as of June 2014) a clear positioning.

Alternative project

In an interview published on January 27, 2015, the Turkish Minister of Economic Affairs, Nihat Zeybekci, emphasized that he also financially supported the alternative project with the working title of Turkish Stream , which Gazprom had recently presented . Turkey already has a 30% stake in the Transanatolian Pipeline (TANAP).

Participating companies

Up until the end of 2014, the joint venture's partners for the offshore part of the pipeline were Gazprom (50%), the Italian energy supplier Eni (20%), the French EDF (15%) and the BASF subsidiary Wintershall (15%). In May 2009 the costs were estimated at 19 to 24 billion euros. On December 29, 2014, Eni, EDF and Wintershall sold their shares in Gazprom. Thus only the latter is responsible for the financing of the offshore part.

The onshore part of the pipeline includes:

  • AustriaAustria Austria Austria - South Stream Austria GmbH; Shareholders Gazprom (50%) and OMV (50%)
  • BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria - South Stream Bulgaria AD; Shareholders Gazprom (50%) and Bulgarian Energy Holding (50%)
  • CroatiaCroatia Croatia - joint venture in preparation; Shareholders Gazprom and Plinacro
  • GreeceGreece Greece - South Stream Greece SA; Shareholders Gazprom (50%) and DESFA (50%)
  • HungaryHungary Hungary - South Stream Hungary Zrt; Shareholders Gazprom (50%) and Magyar Villamos Művek (MVM) (50%)
  • SerbiaSerbia Serbia - South Stream Serbia AG; Shareholders Gazprom (51%) and Srbijagas (49%)
  • SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia - South Stream Slovenia LLC; Shareholders Gazprom (50%) and Plinovodi (50%)

Gas price, economic aspects, other

Between June 2014 and November 2014, oil became about 40 percent cheaper (in US dollars). The gas contracts between Russia and the EU have linked the gas price to the oil price (for decades) . Gas demand in the EU has fallen by around ten percent since 2010. According to media reports, it seems questionable whether South Stream - under the current market conditions - could be operated economically.

After the end of South Stream, the alternative of pumping gas from Azerbaijan via Georgia, Turkey, Greece to Italy has gained in importance for the EU.

See also

Web links

Commons : South Stream  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ^ South Stream - Energy for Europe. Wintershall press release, archived from the original on July 5, 2014 ; Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Agreement on South Stream and Atomic Energy between Russia and Bulgaria signed . RIA Novosti . February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  3. ↑ Eni CEO sees talks soon on South Stream, Elephant field. Reuters , April 7, 2009, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  4. ^ South Stream: Bulgaria's new government changes course - "Kommersant". RIA Novosti , July 13, 2009, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  5. ^ Inga Sikorskaya: Turkmenistan: New Pipeline, Old Horizons? Institute for War and Peace Reporting , July 10, 2009, archived from the original on August 6, 2009 ; accessed on December 5, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Turkey allows construction of the South Stream Pipeline. RIA Novosti , August 6, 2009, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  7. ^ South Stream Pipeline: EU states take the front line against Gazprom. In: Handelsblatt. handelsblatt.com, September 30, 2014, accessed June 9, 2015 .
  8. ↑ Putin on a short visit to Vienna. wienerzeitung.at , April 24, 2010, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  9. ↑ EdF and Wintershall are each investing 15 percent in the South Stream gas project. RIA Novosti , September 6, 2011, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  10. ↑ Losers in gas poker. orf.at , December 15, 2011, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  11. ↑ South Stream gas pipeline: Turkey approves Russian mega-pipeline. Spiegel Online , December 28, 2011, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  12. ↑ Horst Kläuser: The Pipeline Triumph of Gazprom. Tagesschau.de , December 7, 2012, archived from the original on December 10, 2012 ; Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
  13. ↑ Construction work on gas pipeline in Serbia started. orf.at , November 24, 2013, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  14. ↑ voestalpine received major order for South Stream sn.at, January 29, 2014, accessed May 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ EU slows down pipeline negotiations with Moscow. Welt.de , March 9, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  16. ↑ Elke Windisch: Coalition against raw material supplier Gazprom. Bulgaria is caught between the fronts in the gas dispute. In: Tagesspiegel. tagesspiegel.de, June 10, 2014, accessed on June 9, 2015 : “With clear political motives, at least that's how the Russian media portrayed it, a group of high-ranking US senators are said to have interfered in this business. The delegation around the former presidential candidate John McCain “worked” on Bulgaria's Prime Minister Oresharsky over the weekend, it said. In fact, he announced the South Stream pull-out right after meeting Washington's negotiators. "
  17. ^ Gas Supply Line to Crimea Via Gazprom's South Stream Could Be Built in 2 Years - Official. sputniknews.com, June 16, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  18. ↑ South Stream Deal: Handshake between OMV and Gazprom receives criticism. handelsblatt.com , June 24, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  19. ↑ Putin: Bulgaria slows us down: Russia stops South Stream. ntv.de, December 1, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  20. ↑ Conflict with the EU: Russia abandons the South Stream pipeline project. Spiegel Online , December 2, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  21. ^ Benjamin Bidder, Hasnain Kazim : South Stream line stopped: Russia duped, Turkey benefited. Spiegel Online , December 2, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  22. ↑ Erdoğan's dependence on Russia. Zeit Online , December 2, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  23. ^ Eduard Steiner: Pipeline stop reveals Russia's great weakness. welt.de , December 2, 2014, accessed December 2, 2014 .
  24. ↑ Sabine Fischer: Russia and the European Union in Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder (Ed.), Country Report Russia , Federal Center for Political Education, Bonn 2010, ISBN 978-3-8389-0066-7 , p. 236
  25. ↑ Russia officially rejects the EU Energy Charter , Sputnik , August 6, 2009
  26. ↑ Nemanja Rujević: dispute over South Stream pipeline. Deutsche Welle , December 16, 2013, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  27. ↑ Marlies Uken, Till Schwarze: That leaves Europe cold. Zeit Online , December 2, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  28. ↑ Russia moves to WTO because of pipeline dispute. handelsblatt.com , June 13, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  29. ↑ Russia brings South Stream dispute to WTO. DerStandard.at , June 13, 2014, archived from the original on June 14, 2014 ; Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
  30. ↑ http://orf.at/#/stories/2262864/ Turkey wants to participate in the Gazprom pipeline, ORF.at January 27, 2015
  31. ↑ Jason Bush: Russia's South Stream Project Gets a Boost. Spiegel Online , May 19, 2009, accessed December 5, 2014 .
  32. ^ Eni sells South Stream shares to Gazprom. handelsblatt.com , December 30, 2014, accessed January 4, 2015 .
  33. ^ Agreement with Gazprom for the acquisition of EDF's stake in South Stream. (No longer available online.) EdF press release, December 29, 2014, archived from the original on January 5, 2015 ; accessed on January 5, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / press.edf.com
  34. ↑ Wintershall sells shares in South Stream Transport BV Wintershall press release, December 29, 2014, accessed on January 4, 2015 .
  35. ^ Project Structure. The South Stream project official website, archived from the original on December 6, 2013 ; accessed on December 5, 2014 .
  36. ↑ End of the South Stream pipeline project: A decision by Putin? Or Gazproms? Tagesschau.de , December 2, 2014, archived from the original on December 2, 2014 ; Retrieved December 5, 2014 .
  37. ^ Till Rüger: Till Rüger, ARD Vienna, on the end of the South Stream pipeline project. (No longer available online.) Tagesschau.de , December 2, 2014, archived from the original on December 9, 2014 ; Retrieved December 5, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tagesschau.de
  38. ↑ Frank Nienhuysen: Oil and Gas Why Europe can't get past Azerbaijan. sueddeutsche.de , December 12, 2014, accessed January 4, 2015 .