Pipelines to deliver oil, gas, water, data to Israel from Turkey
ANKARA — Israel was said to be near an agreement for another
pipeline with Turkey.
Officials said Israel and Turkey were negotiating the construction of
five pipeline links, one of which could transport 40 million tons of crude
oil per year, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Russia would provide gas for the Medstream pipeline,
meant to deliver Caspian Sea gas and oil to India.
Officials said an eight million euro feasibility study would be
completed in May 2009. They said the pipelines would also transport water and
electricity as well as data via fiber optics to Israel.
"We are very close to reaching an agreement with Russia that would
supply the pipeline with natural gas," Israeli Infrastructure Minister
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who met Guler, said.
"I have visited both Azerbaijan
and Russia in order to seek resources for the project. We are very close to
signing an agreement with Russia, one is a memorandum of understanding and
the other is commercial."
"The project is moving fast," Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said
on July 17. "We are now trying to set up the budget. We are planning to
complete the project three years after the finalization of the feasibility
studies."
