Gasprom Schwez AG, Gasprom’s company, has applied to the Turkish Anti-Monopoly Agency to buy share in the trading company Akfel Gaz, reads the web site of the Agency.
Akfel Gaz is a part of Akfel Holding, which is led by Mehmet Vatikh Baltachi. The company was established in 2011 according to the demand to liberalize Turkish gas market, said the same source. The company imports and sells natural gas in Turkey. In August 2012 Akfel Gaz gas concluded contract with Gasprom Export to deliver 2.25 billion cub.m. of gas a year. The contract for the period of 30 years is effective since early 2013.
Gasprom already owns 71% of other Turkish gas importer Bosphorus Gaz. In 2012 the company received a contract to deliver 1.75 billion cub.m. of gas a year and another 1 billion cub.m. was received Kibar Enerji and Eksim Holding, Gasprom imported 6 billion cub.m. of gas to the private importers, earlier this volume was imported by the state-run Botas.
In 2005 Botas handed over part of its contract to import 8 billion cub.m., of which 750 million cub.m. was given to Bosphoruz Gaz and the contract is effective till 2022. Gasprom bought 20% of Bosphorus Gaz for $15.7 million in 2012 and the agreement on the purchase was reached in 2009, but Gasprom waited three years for approval of the Turkish regulator.
With purchase of Akfel Gaz Gasprom could control 4.75 billion cub.m. of annual gas import to Turkey.
In 2013 Turkey is on the second place after Germany among Russian gas importers, the country imported 26.7 billion cub.m., of which about 16 billion cub.m. via the Blue Stream and the remaining via the western route through Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria.
