Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend / The European Commission has appointed Former Dutch Foreign Minister Jozias van Aartsen as the first EU coordinator to the Nabucco gas pipe project between Turkey and Austria via Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, Energy Intelligence Group reports.
The project, led by Austria's OMV, is to develop a new gas supply route for gas produced in Central Asia, the Caspian region and the Middle East, with the aim of reinforcing the security of supply to Europe.
Nabucco would challenge Russia's control over Caspian gas exports to Europe. Gazprom has since outlined a rival pipe project, South Stream, which has support from Hungary's Mol, ostensibly a Nabucco backer.
The Nabucco pipeline with a length of 4,000km will supply Central Asian and Caspian gas to Europe via Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. The pipeline is expected to be put into operation in 2011. The project is assessed at €5bln. Nabucco is being designed by Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Turkish Botas, Bulgarian Bulgargaz and Romanian Transgaz companies.