Turkey has begun work on a 169-km underwater gas pipeline in the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea, which at 540 bcm is the country's biggest discovery to date. The pipeline is scheduled to be constructed in 2022 to connect the wells of Sakarya to Turkey's main grid.

The routes of the pipeline that will carry the gas have been determined, Fatih Dönmez, the country’s energy and natural resources minister, said. “Corrosion tests have been completed. The technical qualifications of the ships that will undertake the construction have been determined.”  The country has also begun the production of the pipes that will make up the pipeline beneath the Black Sea.

The gas will be transported to the mainland in three phases. The first phase of designing the seabed natural gas production systems has been completed.

As part of the second phase, Dönmez explained that the foundation of an onshore natural gas processing facility at Filyos port in northern Black Sea province of Zonguldak was laid one and a half months ago.

The third phase will include the construction of pipelines that will connect those two units together.