Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 19 / Trend A.Badalova /
Possible joining of Romanian company Transgaz, which is one of six shareholders of the Nabucco Gas Pipeline International consortium, to the South Stream gas pipeline project does not impacts the Nabucco project, believes Christian Dolezal, representative of international projects and Nabucco at the OMV company, operating the project.
"We do not see any impact, because Romania and our shareholder Tranzgas ís fully committed as all the other partners to realize the project," Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH Spokesman Dolezal wrote Trend in an e-mail.
Recently, Rumanian Economics Minister Adrian Vidyanu said Gazprom has invited the Romanian gas pipeline operator Transgaz to participate in the South Stream project. Russia's company reported that during recent visit of Gazprom to Rumania, the Romanian side has confirmed interest in participating in the "South stream" and referred the requested data need to develop a feasibility study of the pipeline route via Romania.
Transgaz was unavailable for immediate comment.
Nabucco is more competitive on the market because South Stream is three times more expensive than Nabucco. Therefore Nabucco offers many advantages to shareholders and shippers than other projects, he added.
The political agreement among the Nabucco transit countries, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey were signed in Ankara July 13.
According to him, this unique treaty between all the Transit Countries is valid for 50 years and is a stable basis for gas transit under equal conditions for everyone.
Nabucco gas pipeline project is worth €7.9 billion. Participants of the project are Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE companies. Each of participants has equal share to the amount of 16.67 percent. Construction of gas pipeline is planned to be launched in 2011, the first supplies - in 2014. Maximal capacity of the pipeline will hit 31 billion cubic meters per year. Nabucco Gas Pipeline International shareholders will invest 30 percent of total cost of the project, the rest 70 percent will be paid owing to loans.
South Stream worth $ 25 billion provides for the delivery of Russian gas to South and Central Europe across the Black Sea. The project's main participants are Russia's Gazprom and Italy's ENI. The pipeline is expected to launch in 2015. Its maximum capacity will be 63 billion cubic meters per year.
Presently, the sides consider several options for further route of the onshore gas pipeline South Stream, which will be laid on EU member-countries' territory. Intergovernmental agreements to implement the land of the draft abroad signed with several countries in South and Central Europe, through which may flow pipeline route, including Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Greece.
The offshore part of the pipeline, whose length is about 900 km and maximum depth - more than 2,000 meters, will be laid under the Black Sea from Russia to the Bulgarian coast.
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