Shah Deniz consortium to make decision soon

The Consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development will choose a pipeline route for prospective Azerbaijani gas export to Central and Southern Europe by late June, 2012, Platts reported with the reference to BP Georgia Manager Neil Dunn.

"By the end of June, there will be a single option for delivery to Italy, and a single option for delivery to (Central) Europe," Dunn said at a conference in Tbilisi.

Shah Deniz consortium has already choosen Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as a priority route for export of Azerbaijani gas to Italy.

The consortium is currently considering other possible export routes - Nabucco and South East Europe Pipeline (SEEP).

Dunn said that Shah Deniz consortium is drawing up a short list of prospective delivery systems to southern and central Europe, including a truncated version of the Nabucco project known as Nabucco West.

According to Dunn, the final decision on a pipeline route will be made in 2013.

The contract to develop the offshore Shah Deniz field was signed on June 4, 1996. Participants to the agreement are: BP (operator) - 25.5 per cent, Statoil - 25.5 per cent, NICO - 10 per cent, Total - 10 per cent, LukAgip - 10 per cent, TPAO - nine per cent and SOCAR-10 per cent.

Azerbaijan is going to export 10 billion cubic metres per year within the Shah Deniz-2 project.