Ankara’s gas game: Turkey prepares a new energy route to Europe via the TRNC

Turkey intends to turn the gas pipeline under construction between Anamur and the area east of Kyrenia into more than just an energy infrastructure project: it wants to make it a strategic corridor for gas supplies to Europe. The Turkish publication Türkiye reports that Ankara hopes to achieve what, in the newspaper’s view, Greece failed to accomplish.

Not only for the TRNC: the project has much broader ambitions

Formally, the new gas pipeline is intended to supply natural gas to the TRNC, where it is planned to be used for electricity generation instead of more expensive liquid fuel.

However, as Türkiye notes, the project’s objectives do not end there. Ankara views the pipeline as the first step towards creating a new route for transporting natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to European markets. Turkey aims to establish itself as one of the region’s key energy hubs by offering Europe an alternative supply route.

101 kilometres leading to major geopolitical stakes

The future gas pipeline will be 101 kilometres long in total. Of this, 97 kilometres will run along the seabed of the Mediterranean, while the remaining four will run on land. The project provides for the possibility of bidirectional gas flows, expanding the potential scenarios for its future use.

It is precisely this technical feature that makes the pipeline not merely local infrastructure, but a potential element of the international energy system.

The next goal is Europe

After gas supplies are launched to the occupied territories, Turkey intends to move on to the second stage of the project. According to Ankara’s plans, the gas pipeline should become part of an energy corridor through which natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean could reach European countries.

In this way, Turkey is seeking to strengthen its influence over Europe’s energy security by presenting its own route as an alternative to existing and potential competing projects.

Deadlines have already been set

According to the Turkish publication, construction of the infrastructure is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. If the work proceeds according to schedule, commercial operation of the gas pipeline could begin as early as 2028.

“Blue Homeland” and a new cause for concern in Athens and Nicosia

The publication directly links the project to Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” strategy, which involves actively promoting Ankara’s interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to Türkiye, the initiative is being closely watched in Athens and Nicosia, where such plans are viewed as not only an energy challenge but also a political one. Against the backdrop of ongoing disputes over the region’s maritime boundaries and resources, the new gas pipeline could become another factor capable of intensifying geopolitical competition in the Eastern Mediterranean.