Pravada: How Turkey and Russia Change International Energy Hub

Energy is a vital need for human life and civilization. It facilitates our lives to a great extent and it has become a genuine necessity, like air and water. One of the primary sources of energy is natural gas. Even though it has always been around, it was not until the early 1600s that it was identified when French explorers found Native Americans kindling gases that were leaking around Lake Erie. Before the advent of the use of electricity in homes in the late 19th Century, natural gas was used mostly as a source of light. It was not practical to use it for other purposes due to the lack of proper pipeline infrastructure. As efficient pipelines were constructed with advancing technology and metallurgy, the transportation of natural gas was made possible. This led to new discoveries of other uses of natural gas such as heating homes, operating appliances and powering processing plants.

Since energy plays an important role in national economies, there is a constant power struggle and competition amongst the world powers and international energy companies. Owing to its sui generis geopolitical position, Turkey plays a key role in most essential projects in the energy sector even though there is no trace of natural gas reserves within its territory. MORE