Azerbaijan, Baku, May 8 / Trend, A.Badalova /
Austria's OMV, the operator of the Nabucco gas pipeline project, believes that an agreement on a transit contract between Azerbaijan and Turkey will allow ensuring European project with Azerbaijani gas in the amount of 10 billion cubic meters a year.
"Apparent agreement between Azerbaijan and Turkey on Azeri gas supplies leaves the way clear for Nabucco partners to sign up 8 Bcm-10 Bcm/yr from Azerbaijan, primarily from the second phase of the Shah Deniz offshore development," Chief Executive Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer said, Energy Intelligence Group reported.
Last month, Azerbaijan and Turkey have agreed on transit of Azerbaijani gas through Turkey. The sides also agreed on the questions of the cost of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey as within the first, and in the second phase of the development of the gas-condensate field Shah Deniz.
Azerbaijan today is considered as one of the main suppliers of gas for the Nabucco pipeline project, which aims to transport gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU.
Azerbaijan expects to , increase its gas exports to different directions from Shah Deniz-2, Absheron, Nakhchivan, Bahar, Umid-Babek and develop deep gas from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field.
While speaking about potential suppliers of gas for Nabucco Ruttenstorfer said talks on nailing down similar volumes from the Kurdish region of northern Iraq -- whose undeveloped gas resources he said are "key" to Nabucco -- face difficulties because of disagreement over revenues and resources between the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil and the central government in Baghdad.
According to him, it may be that Turkmenistan will join the Nabucco project later, given the unresolved issue of the status of the Caspian Sea that would be impeded in building a pipeline under the sea for the transportation of Turkmen gas.
"We are aware of all these difficulties and therefore the prime sources for the gas for Nabucco will be Azerbaijan and northern Iraq," Ruttenstorfer said.
According to BP's data, the proven gas reserves of Azerbaijan as of the beginning of 2009 amounted to 1.2 trillion cubic meters, Turkmenistan - 7.94 trillion cubic meters, Iraq, 3.17 trillion cubic meters.
The Nabucco project worth 7.9 billion euro will deliver gas from the Caspian region and Middle East to the EU by 2014. Construction of the pipeline is expected to begin in 2011. Its maximum capacity will be 31 billion cubic meters per year. Nabucco shareholders are the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE with 16.7 percent each.
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