Minister: Nabucco West is best option to transport Azerbaijani gas

Nabucco West project is the best option from all points of view to transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe, Reuters reported with the reference to Azerbaijani Minister of Industry and Energy Natiq Aliyev.

"It (project) has a big capacity, big diameter, and it gives us the opportunity to deliver gas to east and central Europe. It's a more reliable market for Azeri gas," Aliyev told reporters.

The minister also stressed that this project was always supported by the EU.

Nabucco West is a short-cut version of Nabucco project, which envisages construction of the pipeline from Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria. Gas to be produced within the second phase of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas field development is considered as the main source for the project.

The project's current shareholders are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV, German RWE and Hungary's FGSZ.

In June the Shah Deniz consortium selected Nabucco West as the single pipeline option for the potential export of Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas to Central Europe.

In February Shah Deniz Consortium announced TAP a priority route for export of the Azerbaijani gas to Italy.

The final decision on pipeline export route is expected in 2013.


/Trend/