Azerbaijan, Baku, July 18 / Trend A. Badalova /
Austrian oil and gas company OMV, which is one of the shareholders of the Nabucco pipeline project, retains an interest in the construction of the Trans-Caspian pipeline. It will transport Turkmen gas to the European markets.
"Turkmenistan can be a source of gas supplies for Nabucco," OMV manager for public relations Alexandra Seidl told Trend via e-mail. "So, the construction of Trans-Caspian pipeline would be an interesting variant."
She said that however, Turkmenistan is not the only source of gas for the Nabucco project. Other important sources are Azerbaijan and Iraq.
She said that at present, the negotiations with potential gas suppliers for this project are underway. She did not name the possible term of signing the contracts for gas supplies.
In early July, the talks were held between Turkmenistan and OMV to diversify gas supply.
The construction of Nabucco gas pipeline is scheduled for 2013 and first deliveries are expected in 2017.
Participants of the project are Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE companies.
The 300 kilometer-Trans-Caspian gas pipeline will be laid from the Turkmen to the Azerbaijani coast of the Caspian Sea. It will be connected to "Nabucco". The talks between Turkmenistan, the European Union and other countries have been conducted since late 1990s of last century to build the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. Its construction is hampered by the unresolved issue of the status of the Caspian Sea.
"Nabucco gas Pipeline International is very optimistic that a Trans-Caspian pipeline will be also realized after Nabucco has firm supply commitments from the suppliers," Christian Dolezal, official representative of Nabucco project, told Trend earlier.
The construction of this pipeline would make economical very much sense for all parties involved, Dolezal said.