Azerbaijan, Baku, April 6 / Trend A.Badalova, A.Taghiyeva /
Selection the direction of gas export route by the Shah Deniz Consortium will become more important decision rather than choosing concrete pipeline, analyst at the International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) Hasan Selim Ozertem said.
"It will be important to determine to which part of Europe the gas will be exported," Ozertem told Trend.
At present, the Consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field development considers several options to export gas to the European markets within the Southern Gas Corridor project.
Earlier the Shah Deniz Consortium excluded ITGI from the list of those being considered to export Azerbaijani gas to the European countries, and made TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) a priority route for Azerbaijani gas export to Italy.
Now the consortium chooses the pipeline route to the South-Eastern and Central Europe between Nabucco West and SEEP (South-East Europe Pipeline, proposed by BP). The decision on this direction will be selected by late June, 2012. The final decision on a pipeline route to export Azerbaijani gas to the European markets is expected in 2013.
Ozertem believes that Nabucco gas pipeline project implementation faces a number of difficulties, which include economic and political instability in Iraq, considered as one of the potential suppliers for the project.
Nabucco gas pipeline designed to transport gas from the Caspian region and Middle East to the European countries. The project's shareholders are Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas, Austrian OMV, German RWE and Hungary's FGSZ.
Gas to be produced within the second phase of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for Nabucco.