Special to WorldTribune.com

ANKARA — China and Turkey have signed a natural gas storage
agreement.

Turkey’s state-owned Botas has contracted China’s Tianchen Engineering
to build a gas depository under Turkey’s Lake Tuz in Central Anatolia. Under
the agreement, reported at $559 million, Tianchen would build a facility by
2019 that could store one billion cubic meters of gas from Russia’s Gazprom.

“We are planning on building depositories in other regions as well,”
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.

The Russian gas pipeline deal has been canceled by Botas amid a dispute
over price. But officials said Turkish and foreign companies would replace
Botas and eventually Turkey’s gas deposits would reach 3.6 million cubic
meters.

  Botas, Central Anatolia, Gazprom, Lake Tuz, Tianchen Engineering, Turkey hires Chinese firm to build natural gas depository