Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend / The Nabucco project plays a very important role in implementing the European Union's (EU) energy strategy, the EU Commissioner on Energy Affairs, Andreas Piebalgs, said at an international conference in Budapest on 14 September dedicated to the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline, according to ITAR-TASS.
According to him, during the recent ten years, energy consumption in Europe dramatically increased and this tendency will continue in the future. It is uncertain, however, if exporters will be able to provide for energy carrier supplies in the future, he said. In this connection Nabucco will enable the attraction of new sources.
According to the EU Commissioner, Nabucco enjoys full political support by the EU. The problem is in search of new suppliers. The process is not an easy one; therefore the project is going so slowly. Piebalgs referred to the Caspian region as a prospect.
We want to involve Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and in the future Iraq in the Nabucco project" he said.
Piebalgs expressed his hope for the recent appointment of the EU coordinator for the project to precipitate the implementation of the construction of the pipeline. The EU has already invested funds into Nabucco. Necessity of further investments will be defined by the coordinator of the project. The Commissioner did not exclude the possibility of the European Investment Bank to be involved in the project. "I have no doubts Nabucco will be constructed," he said.