Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend / The Nabucco Gas Pipeline Company signed a $13mln contract with the British company Penspen to develop engineering of the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline, stated the Energy Intelligence Group.
OMV is the operator of Nabucco with a 20% share.
With a length of 4,000km, the Nabucco gas pipeline will ensure gas delivery via the Mediterranean and Caspian Sea to Europe via Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Austria. Operation of the gas pipeline will commence in 2011. The project is estimated at €5bln. Nabucco is developed by the companies of OMV, MOL (Hungary), Botas (Turkey), Bulgargaz (Bulgaria) and Transgaz (Romania).
According to the acting director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline Company, Reinhard Mitshek, the contract with Penspen is directed to decrease of independence of the European Union on Russian gas supply.
The project capacity of the pipeline is 31bln cu m per year.