Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 27 / Trend A. Badalova /
Nabucco gas pipeline consortium, designed to transport gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU countries, expects the successful conclusion of contracts on gas deliveries for the project for the nearest months, official representative of the Nabucco project Christian Dolezal told Trend via e-mail.
"Shareholders are negotiations on gas supplies with Azerbaijan. The successful conclusion of contracts on supplies for Nabucco in the coming months will likely to be an important step for the project," Dolezal said.
Nabucco is worth 7.9 billion euro, with its construction scheduled to start in 2012 and the first supplies to be commissioned in 2015. The project's participants include the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE, each having an equal 16.67 percent share. The pipeline's maximum capacity will hit 31 billion cubic meters per year.
He said that after signing the first contracts between shareholders and suppliers, the process of opens season will be implemented. It will give the opportunity to make a final investment decision on the project, which is expected in 2011.
Open season process involves putting the capacity of the Nabucco gas pipeline on sale. During this procedure, shareholders of the project will receive up to 15 billion cubic meters of gas per year (50 percent of the total transport capacity of the gas pipeline), the remaining 50 percent will be offered to the third parties on equal terms and the principles of transparency.
The Nabucco project is the most competitive within the Southern Corridor, Dolezal said. The consortium is not discussing the question of unification "Nabucco" with other pipeline projects.
This week, Joschka Fischer, who is the head of the company Joschka Fischer & Company, acting as PR-consultant for the construction project of the Nabucco gas pipeline, said that Europe must unite three competing gas pipeline projects to ensure diversification of supplies from Russia. He said that "Nabucco" and competing pipeline projects will benefit from uniting in one project.
The call for unity does not sound for the first time. Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Italy David Thorne said about the possibility of uniting Nabucco and South Stream projects.