Design and Status of the Only Underground Gas Storage Project in Turkey after Three Years of Operation

Abstract

More than ninety eight percent of natural gas used in Turkey is imported predominantly from Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Iran by pipeline, and Algeria and Nigeria as LNG. As in most developing gas consuming countries, Turkey's natural gas consumption varies in seasonal basis. Therefore, the country has had to work consistently to develop its transmission and storage systems. As a solution to this, Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) decided to convert the producing two gas fields, Kuzey Marmara (off-shore) and Degirmenkoy (on-shore) into underground gas storage facilities to accommodate seasonal variations in natural gas consumption. The main reasons in choosing the Kuzey Marmara (K. Marmara) and Degirmenkoy fields as gas storage are the proximity of the fields to the gas pipeline network and Istanbul, and their suitability for gas storage because of their reservoir characteristics. The project area, however, is located in an environmentally sensitive region, which is also popular with its recreational and residential areas. Authority requirements regarding emissions, noise and other aspects were extremely severe. The Silivri (K. Marmara and Degirmenkoy fields) underground natural gas storage (UGS) facilities with a storage capacity of 1.9 billion m3 were became operational on 13th of April 2007. Gas from the existing supply pipeline is currently being injected into the storage reservoirs and subsequently reproduced into the supply pipeline during the periods of high demand. This paper provides the design and development process of the first and the only underground gas storage project of Turkey and also presents the status quo after the first three complete cycles.